Man City manager, Pep Guadiola is asking for an apology from Ivory
Coast and Man City midfielder, Yaya Toure ‘s outspoken agent, Dimitri
Seluk, regarding comments he made about him and the club recently.
Toure, 33, has made only one appearance for City this season and was
left out of their Champions League squad, this prompted a response from
Seluk who said Toure had been ‘humiliated’ by his former Barcelona
Coach. Guardiola who felt Toure’s agent was being disrespectful, says
he will not play Toure until Seluk apologises.
After Yaya was left out of City’s Champions League squad, His Agent Seluk said:
‘It is Pep’s decision and we must respect that. If he wins the
Champions League for City this season then I will travel to England and I
will say on television that Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the
world. But if City don’t win the Champions League then I hope that Pep
has got the balls to say that he was wrong to humiliate a great player
like Yaya.
‘Yaya is a professional and so he will do everything he is asked to do.
Perhaps Pep will think he is good enough to play in the final 10 minutes
of a League Cup game against a third division team – and, yes, I am
joking. But what I can tell you is that Yaya will spend the season at
City. He will not be leaving in January. He hopes that he will get the
chance to prove himself.’
Explaining the reason why Toure will not be considered for Wednesday’s
tie at Swansea, Guardiola warned that the 33-year-old midfielder could
be frozen out completely for the remaining eight months of his
£220,000-a-week contract unless Seluk apologises.
‘It was so difficult for me to leave him (Toure) out of the Champions
League, so difficult,’ said Guardiola. ‘I know him and I know he’s a
good guy.
The day after his manager spoke and in that moment Yaya is out. Except
Mr Dimitri Seluk comes back in the press conference or to his friends in
the media – because he hasn’t the courage to call me, he goes to the
media . He has to apologise to Manchester City first of all, then his
team-mates, and afterwards the trainer. When that happens Yaya will be
part of the group and he will have the chance to play.
‘I cannot accept as a coach every agent when his player doesn’t play he
goes to the media and speaks. I know how much Dimitri Seluk loves Yaya
Toure. If he loves him, show me by apologising to Manchester City for
what he did in the papers.
‘I cannot imagine in my day when a player’s agent would go to the media
and speak against Johan Cruyff. Maybe it’s the new era but I’m old
generation, and an old generation agent has to make his players his job
and the coach his job. Today agents believe they are more than they are.
If you have a problem, we can talk. Until he speaks, Yaya isn’t going
to play.