Yaya Toure's agent criticised for ill-advised tweet mocking Guardiola after Manchester City's Champions League loss
Yaya Toure’s agent Dimitry Seluk is not new to mocking Pep Guardiola but his latest attempt may have crossed a line.
After Manchester City’s shock defeat in their opening Champions League game to Lyon, Seluk – who has a history of poking fun at Guardiola and City since his client Toure left in acrimonious circumstances – sent an ill-advised tweet.
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It involved a cartoon of Toure, mocked up as an African witchdoctor, poking a voodoo doll of Guardiola. At best it could be described as bitter, at worse racially insensitive.
The tweet did not go down well with fans on Twitter who accused Seluk of being petulant and childish.
“You are proper odd mate,” said one response while others pleased with him to “respect the club” and “leave Yaya out of it”.
Man City 1-2 Lyon pic.twitter.com/56gqqb1XNz
— Dimitry Seluk (@dmitriseluk) September 19, 2018
This is silly from Yaya’s agent. Yaya is a big hero to City fans, don’t suggest he’s happy they lost. Attack Pep if you must, but leave Yaya out of the foolishness
— Nurudeen Obalola (@NurudeenObalola) September 19, 2018
You just know he had the tweet saved from the start of the season until we lose one
— Girona bound (@DouglxsLuiz) September 19, 2018
That would be the same Manchester City who have provided a huge slice of your income for the last 8 years.
— Matt Dwyer (@balloonmoon) September 19, 2018
Seluk and Toure both believe Guardiola forced the player out after his arrival in 2016, with the midfielder since claiming the Spaniard had an agenda against African players.
“And I’m sure that many African shamans in the future will not allow Guardiola to win the Champions League,” Seluk said in June, per the Mirror.
“He turned all Africa against himself, many African fans turned away from Manchester City.
“This will be for Guardiola an African curse. Life will show whether I am right or not.”
Toure, 35 and now back at Olympiakos, won the FA Cup and the Premier League twice during his time at City, as well as countless individual awards, including African Player of the Year and two inclusions in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
Guardiola, who was watching from the stands at the Etihad as he was serving a touchline ban, watched his side go two goals down to Lyon before Bernardo Silva pulled back a consolation.
It was the first time any English side had lost four consecutive Champions League games in the competition’s history.