In an interview with the magazine France Football, the four-time winner of the African Footballer of the Year title has accused Guardiola of “having problems with African players” and blamed Guardiola for both of his short-lived spells at his clubs — Man City and Barcelona.
"He was cruel with me. Do you really think he could've been like that with Andres Iniesta? It got to the point I asked myself if it was because of my color. I'm not the first, other Barca players asked the question too," Toure said.
He also claims that he is not the only African player who has suspected Guardiola of unfair treatment, suggesting that there have been several who felt that way while he was playing in Spain.
“I want to be the one who breaks the Guardiola myth,” Toure said.
He went on to say that he felt that he was dealing with someone who just wanted revenge on him.
“I do not know why, but I have the impression that he was jealous of me, that he took me for a rival. There you have it. We always looked at each other weirdly. It was as though I made him a little nervous,” Toure said.
So far, following the revelation by Toure, neither Guardiola nor a Man City spokesperson has left a comment.
Social media users took to Twitter to react to Toure’s accusations.
— Onimisi…✨ (@_AbdulQudus_) June 4, 2018
— 👑 DaddyMo PhD CEng 👑 (@officialdaddymo) June 5, 2018
— Babanla (@biolakazeem) June 4, 2018
— Captain Guardiola ⚽ (@CaptnGuardiola) June 4, 2018
— Iba Ella of Warri 🇳🇬🌍 (@Slyadeniyi) June 4, 2018