- Yaya Toure has dismissed ‘African curse’ claims on Manchester City
- The curse narrative was being propagated by his former agent Dimitry Seluk
- Seluk said that the curse is now lifted and wished Guardiola the best in his quest to win Champions League
Former Tottenham Hotspur player Yaya Toure has dismissed ‘African curse’ claims on Manchester City in its quest to win the Champions League.
The curse narrative was being propagated by his former agent Dimitry Seluk who earlier said that City manager Pep Guardiola was squarely into the curse.
Before Toure gave his two cents on the matter, Seluk said that the curse is now lifted and wished Guardiola the best in his quest to win the Champions League in 2023.
He apologized over this adding that time has come for the bitterness to stop.
“I want to apologise for this matter. I think it is time for this bitterness to stop – and I know that Yaya feels the same because he wishes nothing but success for City,” Gist Mania reports.
Ex-Manchester City footballer Yaya Touré. [Photo/Sky Sports]
Seluk noted that should Manchester City fail to win this year, they will win by 2026.
In a rejoinder, Toure trashed Seluk’s statements saying they were baseless and lazy. The West African player who cut ties with the Ukrainian agent urged the media to ignore him [Seluk]
“My former agent is being quoted by the media about a ‘curse’. Please don’t associate me with these nonsense and lazy stereotypes about African curses!?
“Media… move on please. This man does not represent me in any way. Amplifying these stereotypes can be harmful,” he tweeted.
Seluk has a sour relationship with Guardiola stemming from what the agent says was the unfair treatment of Toure when he was with City.
Toure, an Ivorian midfielder, had a hard time at Etihad prompting Seluk to unleash a ‘shamans’ curse on him.
The Ivorian international opened up to Sportsmail in 2022 that he wrote to Guardiola in an effort to patch things up following an interview where he alleged he was misquoted.
In the said interview, Toure purportedly spoke of Guardiola’s dislike for African players. However, he insists that he was misunderstood, and this was the start of his bad blood with the Manchester City manager.
Guardiola never replied and the stalemate saw him leave Etihad for Spurs after a series of frustrations.
This angered Seluk who went on an offensive saying that he cast a spell on Guardiola, and claims that Toure has since been dismissed.
Yaya Touré. Photo/Sporting news]
He admitted his early days playing football made him a selfish player and looking back, he understands one can be a great player and not an excellent coach.
Now in coaching, he understands the sacrifice and effort it takes.
“Now, I have to understand children. I’m back to the start. And at their age, life is not so certain. You have to support them, talk to them a lot. When I was a teenager, playing in Belgium, I made mistakes. With food, behaviour. I was out driving cars. If you don’t have someone who understands you, it’s tough. I want to be that person who is there for them,” he states.
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