LONDON: Midfielder Yaya Toure is upset with Manchester City after an apparent birthday snub and could leave the Premier League champions, his agent said yesterday.
According to Dimitri Seluk, who represents the Ivory Coast international, Toure was dismayed that, despite the club giving him a 31st birthday cake, the owners did not personally congratulate him at a post-season party in Abu Dhabi.
Former Barcelona powerhouse Toure, whose goals were instrumental in City’s second title in three seasons, could even seek a move, Seluk said.
“He got a cake but when it was Roberto Carlos’s birthday, the president of (Russian side) Anzhi (Makhachkala) gave him a Bugatti,” Seluk told BBC Sport.
“I don’t expect City to present Yaya with a Bugatti, we only asked that they shook his hand and said ‘we congratulate you’. It is the minimum they must do when it is his birthday and the squad is all together.
“Of course Yaya is upset about this. It is his birthday and nobody said anything or shook his hand, so he does not feel comfortable,” added Seluk, who said City sent a Twitter message wishing Toure a happy birthday.
“The most important thing is a human relationship and maybe this is his opportunity for Yaya to find that. If City don’t respect him, then easy - Yaya will leave. No problem.”
Toure, who joined City in 2010 as part of the owner Sheikh Mansour’s vast outlay on world-class players, moved to reassure Man City fans via his Twitter page yesterday.
“Thanks for all the birthday messages today. Card from City just arrived... Must have got lost in the post. Haha” he Tweeted.
“Jokes aside. Please do not take words that do not come out of MY mouth seriously. Judge my commitment to @MCFC by my performances.”
Toure signed a new four-year contract last year and Seluk denied that he was looking for a better deal with the club.
“No. Money is not important. He has enough money,” he said.
“It is more important he plays for a club that respects him more than having a few thousand pounds added to his salary.
“I have spoken to him about leaving and we will see what happens but, at the moment, Yaya is really upset.”
Meanwhile, Former referee Gianluca Paparesta, who was investigated in the infamous Calciopoli match-fixing scandal, won the right to buy troubled Serie B club Bari for 4.8 million euros ($6.6m) in an auction yesterday.
Paparesta beat off three other bidders for the club’s sporting licence, which has been in the hands of the bankruptcy tribunal since March.
If his bid is confirmed as successful by the court, a new club called Football Club Bari 1908 will take their place in the league.
“This is a great project for a great club and a grand fan base,” Paparesta told reporters.
The Bari-born former referee turned television pundit and ex-Bari city councillor, who turns 45 on Sunday, refused to say who was providing the financial backing, but Italian daily La Repubblica reported that an Irish consortium was behind his bid.
A group of around 50 Bari fans gathered outside the tribunal and the ANSA news agency reported that they chanted “Gianluca one of us”. Paparesta was investigated during the calciopoli scandal which rocked Italian football in 2006 but never faced charges.
He was suspended as a referee in 2008 and after a lengthy and unsuccessful appeal process resigned in 2010. Bari, who are sixth in Serie B and bidding for a return to the top flight via the playoffs, finally announced bankruptcy earlier this season after years of financial problems left the club with debts of 30m euros. Good recent performances on the pitch have meant that the team have been playing in front of bumper crowds with around 35,000 spectators watching the 1-0 win over Cittadella on Monday. AGENCIES
