Man City Manager Pep Guardiola warned Yaya Toure he will never play for Man City again unless there is an apology after his "outspoken agent" accused the manager of "humiliating" the midfielder by omitting him from the club’s Champions League squad, according to James Ducker of the London TELEGRAPH. Guardiola "is furious at Dmitri Seluk’s public criticism of him and has told Toure that unless his camp back down and apologise his career at City is as good as over." Seluk had responded to Toure’s Champions League omission by telling Guardiola that if City "don’t win the Champions League then I hope that Pep has got the balls to say that he was wrong to humiliate a great player like Yaya." But in "another show of strength" from Guardiola, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach said, "It was so difficult for me to leave him [Toure] out of the Champions League, so difficult. I know him and I know he’s a good guy. It was difficult as well for Alexi Garcia. But the day after his agent [Seluk] spoke and in that moment Yaya is out. Unless Mr. Dmitri Seluk comes back in the press conference or (speaks to) his friends in the media -- because he has not the courage to call me -- go to the media and say he apologizes to Manchester City, firstly, secondly to his teammates and after the trainer. When that happens Yaya will be part of the group and he will have the same chance to play all the games." The situation "is the latest show of power from Guardiola," who began his Man City reign "by banning overweight players, including Samir Nasri, from training." He then "dumped first choice goalkeeper Joe Hart by sending the England No. 1 on loan to Torino as well as offloading a number of other high profile players" (TELEGRAPH, 9/20). In a subsequent article, Drucker wrote that Seluk responded to Guardiola's demand by saying "he will apologise only if Guardiola says sorry to Manuel Pellegrini for taking his job and to Joe Hart for ousting the goalkeeper." Seluk: “If Pep Guardiola wants a war, then he can have one. I will apologise to Guardiola if he will apologise to Pellegrini for what he did to him. He took his job when he was still fighting for titles. If you are a gentleman this just does not happen. Colleagues should have respect for each other, especially in England where it is important to act like a gentleman. He [Pellegrini] signed a new contract last year then he gets pushed out for Guardiola to come in. Pellegrini was a gentleman" (TELEGRAPH, 9/20).
