Yaya Toure: Manchester City refused to let me meet my dying brother during title celebrations

Yaya Toure

Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure has expressed his disappointment with his current club, Manchester City claiming that the club refused to give him time off when his younger brother was dying. Ibrahim Toure died last week in Manchester at the young age of 28.

"I confess that I am still very sad," Toure told France Football. "I'm suffering because I feel I have done nothing useful for him the last few weeks.

"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 give me a few days. I went to celebrate the title championship in Abu Dhabi while my brother was in his sickbed.”

"By fortune, Kolo was at his [Ibrahim's] bedside,” he continued. “After that I blame myself for not insisting and for not leading them to respect me. 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, it¹s not good. For sure, doctors had left me with very little hope when I had left for the World Cup," Toure said.

"During those days, he could not even respond to my calls, he was so tired. I also felt that brother Ismael and my sister Aicha, who had stayed with him in Manchester, were not telling me everything the last few days. Despite that, in these cases we always try and hold on to a miracle.”

"The news came as a huge shock because I was very close to him. We spent two years apart, but we were very close. As kids we always stuck together and we played in the famous local tournaments that were never-ending.”

'City wouldn't give me those few days to spend with my dying brother'. Amazing Yaya Touré itv in France Football, explains apparent fall out

— Matt Spiro (@mattspiro) June 24, 2014

Ibrahim, who was a footballer himself was contracted to Lebanon-based club Al Safa, died of cancer last week.

"I wonder how I'll cope without him. I know that I will no longer be able to hear him, sense him, see him, this feels awful, especially when you¹re thousands of kilometres away,” Toure added. "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 Ibrahim one last time. But our father advised against it and we listened."

Manchester City is yet to comment on the situation, and this is the second time the Ivorian had expressed his discontent with the club after he accused them of not celebrating his birthday in Abu Dhabi.

Toure is contracted to a four-year deal, and it is unlikely that the club will allow to let one of their most important players leave the club.