Yaya Toure has accused Manchester City of forcing him to come to the UAE to celebrate their Premier League title triumph when he requested to stay in England to be with his dying brother.
Toure’s younger brother, Ibrahim, tragically passed away last week after a battle with cancer, while Yaya and other brother Kolo were in Brazil on World Cup duty with the Ivory Coast.
And following his bizarre outburst last month regarding his birthday, Yaya has again called into question his City future, this time with far more serious claims.
The City squad had flown to Abu Dhabi in May to celebrate their title success with the club’s owners as well as play a friendly with Arabian Gulf League club Al Ain.
But Toure insists he asked for special permission to remain in Manchester to be by Ibrahim’s side – a request City rejected, according to the midfielder.
“At the end of the season, I wanted to stay for four or five days with my brother before I flew to prepare for the World Cup with Ivory Coast, except that City did not want to grant me a few days,” Toure told France Football.
“I went to celebrate the title championship in Abu Dhabi while my brother was lying in his sickbed. By fortune, Kolo was at his bedside. After that I blame myself for not insisting and for not making them respect me.
“However, club officials knew very well that I was suffering for a few months as the health of my brother declined. This is the reason I had several injuries at the end of the season, because my head had taken control of my body.
“These last four months have probably been the hardest in my life.”
Manchester City are yet to release an official statement regarding Toure’s claims.
