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.
