Toure: City denied me seeing dying brother

Yaya Toure claimed Manchester City refused his request for compassionate leave to visit his dying brother, Ibrahim, before the World Cup.

Toure, whose Ivory Coast side face Greece hoping for a first-ever place in the last 16 of the World Cup, caused a furore after City’s Premier League title win when he first denied and then confirmed his claims by his agent that he was unhappy at the club. But now Toure has lifted the lid on the reasons for the rift with officials.

“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 Côte d’Ivoire,” Toure revealed.

“Except that City did not want to give me a few days. I went to celebrate the title championship in Abu Dhabi while my brother was in his sickbed. By good luck, Kolo was at his bedside.

“After that, I blame myself because I did not insist, because I did not ask them to respect me.

“However, club officials knew that I had been suffering for a few months seeing the health of my brother decline. 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. I have had sporting success, except that when you get home and you find yourself facing the distress of someone you love, but you do not know how you can help, it’s not good.”

Toure, speaking to France Football magazine, thought about returning to Manchester after he arrived in Brazil but he was advised against it by his father. “The news came as a huge shock because I was very close to my ‘Choucou’. As we were two years apart, we were very close,” he continued.

“As kids we always stuck together. I wonder how I’ll cope without him. I know that I will no longer be able to hear him or see him, and this feels awful, especially when you’re thousands of kilometres away.

“Luckily, I have Kolo with me. More than once, he has played big brother to me, finding the words to comfort me, keep me strong, talk to me.

“At one point, we thought about leaving Brazil for Manchester to see ‘my little one’ one last time. But our father advised against it – we listened.”

Toure, speaking before Ivory Coast’s decisive Group C game against Greece, added: “I confess that I am still very sad. Now, I have to put myself in the (World Cup) bubble because I do not want to spoil the party for qualification. I know Ibrahim saw our first victory against Japan. It’s not very original, but this qualification, obviously, I want to do it for him. Just to continue to see him smile.”