Alastair Grant/Associated Press

Yaya Toure Agent Takes Pop at Pep Guardiola After Manchester City Loss vs. Lyon

Gianni Verschueren

Yaya Toure's agent Dimitry Seluk continued his feud with Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola after the Sky Blues' 2-1 loss against Lyon in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. 

Per the Mirror's Andrew Gilpin, the representative took to Twitter to upload an image many fans immediately labeled as disrespectful and even racist. Here's the tweet:

Per the report, Toure left the club on bad terms, but the dispute between Seluk and Guardiola goes back further than that.

The outspoken agent was never shy to criticise Guardiola when his client was still on the books at City. Per the Mirror's Simon Mullock, the coach wasn't afraid to hit back, leaving Toure out of his team until Seluk apologised at one point.

Seluk's response left little to the imagination:

"If Pep Guardiola wants a war, then he can have one.

"Pep didn't like my opinion? But what does he expect me to say when he does this to Yaya?

"Yaya is a player who has made history for Manchester City. He has won the Premier League twice, he has won the FA Cup, he has won the League Cup twice and he helped them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time.

"I spoke out because I felt that Pep was being vindictive to Yaya. Unfortunately for Pep, we live in a world where you have the right to free speech."

But things took a turn for the worse after Toure left the club this summer. As Goal's Chris Burton reported, the Ivorian accused Guardiola of having a problem with African players.

Seluk then did an interview with Sport24 (h/t Burton), saying FIFA should ban the City manager before comparing him to a dog: "You know, Guardiola cannot be called a dog. Because a dog is a good and kind creature, man's best friend. But Guardiola, by his very nature, is man's worst enemy."

Guardiola wasn't on the bench for Wednesday's loss because of a one-match ban, meaning assistant Mikel Arteta was in charge. Lyon shocked the Premier League champions with their aggressive and open approach and took a two-goal lead through Maxwel Cornet and Nabil Fekir. Bernardo Silva's goal midway through the second half did not spark a comeback.

The upset left City in last place in Group F, one point behind Hoffenheim and Shakhtar Donetsk. Despite the setback, they are still expected to progress to the knockout stages.

Toure spent nearly a decade at the Etihad Stadium and left for Olympiakos following the expiration of his contract in the summer. He previously played for the Greeks in the 2005-06 campaign.

   

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