Cote d’Ivoire’s former Manchester City midfield powerhouse Yaya Toure has hit out at Pep Guardiola for the way he treated him at the Etihad.
The Ivorian left the Manchester club at the end of the 2017/18 season after eight years, but found playtime hard to come by under the Spanish tactician.
Of the 72 Premier League games played in the two seasons Guardiola has been in charge at the Etihad, Yaya featured only 35 times, 12 of those coming as a substitute.
“Maybe we Africans are not always treated by some in the same way as others,” Yaya said in an interview with France Football.
He went on to suggest that Guardiola “often has problems with Africans.”
“I do not know why but I have the impression that he was jealous, he took me for a rival. As if I made him a little shade.
“He was cruel to me. I came to wonder if it was not because of my colour.
“I am not the first to talk about these differences in treatment. In Barca, some have also asked the question.
“When we realise he often has problems with Africans wherever he goes, I ask myself questions.
“I want to be the one who breaks the myth of Guardiola,” the Ivorian said.
Guardiola and Yaya got embroiled in a misunderstanding in September 2016, after the Ivorian’s agent Dimitri Seluk accused the Spanish coach of targeting his client unfairly.
Guardiola then suspended Yaya from the team, demanding that he issues a public apology before being accepted back into the fold.
“He must apologise to his teammates. He must apologise to the club. If he doesn’t, he won’t play,” Guardiola said then.
Yaya is yet to make an announcement on his future having left Manchester City in May. He however said he had offers, but would prefer to remain in England.
