Yaya Toure on Pep Guardiola: he is a ‘myth’ who has ‘problems with Africans’

Ex-Manchester City midfielder hits out at
his former boss in explosive interview

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The explosive accusation was made by the Ivory Coast midfielder
in an interview with France Football magazine, which was picked up
by several British outlets, including The Guardian.

Toure left City last month after eight seasons at the
Etihad, the last two of which were spent under Guardiola. Prior to
City, the pair had worked together at Barcelona and Toure clearly
isn’t a fan of the Spaniard.

“I want to be the one who breaks the Guardiola myth a
bit,” said the 35-year-old. “Barcelona, he did not invent it. He
just had the intelligence to adapt what [Johan] Cruyff had set up.
Then, at Bayern and City, he tried to reproduce the same patterns
but with this requirement: working with ‘his’ players and with
almost unlimited means. It would not work at Crystal Palace or
Watford.”

‘Some players ended up hating him’

Toure left Barcelona for City in 2010 because his game
time was increasingly limited at the Camp Nou, and in the last
couple of years at the Etihad he was a peripheral figure, playing
only 228 minutes in the Premier league last season. Age might be a
factor but in Toure’s mind it was more to do with his relationship
with Guardiola.

“Pep likes to dominate and wants to have obedient players
who lick his hands,” he said. “I do not like this kind of
relationship. I respect my coach but I am not his thing. Like all
players I have bickered with my coaches. But at a certain point men
who do not understand each other reconcile.

“This is not possible with Pep, who is very rigid. The
other players will never admit it publicly but some have already
told me that they ended up hating him. Because he manipulates and
plays a lot with your head.”

But it is Toure’s comment about Guardiola’s attitude
towards African players that is the most controversial.

“He insists he has no problems with black players, because
he is too intelligent to be caught out,” said Toure. “But when you
realise that he has problems with Africans wherever he goes, I ask
myself questions. He will never admit it. But the day he will line
up a team in which we find five Africans, not naturalised, I
promise I will send him a cake.”

Only Guardiola knows if there are any truth in the accusations
but the Spaniard’s supporters are entitled to point, by way of a
defence, to the notoriously fragile ego of the Ivorian midfielder.
When City forgot to send him a birthday cake in 2014 he
almost left the club because he felt “disrespected”.

There has been no reaction from City or Guardiola to
Toure’s accusations but the Guardian claims that “the club are
disappointed by the player’s remarks”.