MX23RW : Sunday, October 6 08:04:43| >> :60:851:851:

Kevin De Bruyne defends Pep Guardiola over Yaya Toure racism claims

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne insists that he has seen no evidence of discrimination from manager Pep Guardiola following allegations by Yaya Toure.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has defended manager Pep Guardiola over claims from Yaya Toure that he has a problem with African players.

Toure was one of the most high-profile players to lose his place in the City side following Guardiola's arrival in 2016 and made just one Premier League start throughout the 2017-18 campaign.

The 35-year-old left the club after eight years last month following the expiration of his contract, and recently suggested that the reason behind his lack of playing time was down to his African descent.

However, De Bruyne has insisted that he has seen no evidence of such discrimination and insists that Guardiola made the right decision to leave Toure out of the team.

"I never saw something. It would be weird if the trainer was racist – with all the black guys in our team," De Bruyne told BBC World Football.

"So I don't know what Yaya said or if it's wrongly written or exaggerated. When you don't play there's always something you try to find.

"We had the best season ever, so in the end the coach took the right decision to play with the team who played a lot. This year the trainer probably thought [Yaya] wasn't doing enough, wasn't fit enough. I've never seen something racist at the club, ever."

Guardiola has himself refused to comment on Toure's allegations.

ID:327698: cacheID:327698:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2534:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola watches on during the Premier League clash with Brighton on May 9, 2018
Read Next:
Guardiola tight-lipped on Toure allegations
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
2.30pm
Jets
@
Vikings
6pm
Panthers
@
Bears
6pm
Ravens
@
Bengals
6pm
Colts
@
Jags
6pm
Dolphins
@
Patriots
6pm
Bills
@
Texans
6pm
Browns
@
Washington
9.05pm
Cardinals
@
49ers
9.05pm
Raiders
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Packers
@
Rams
9.25pm
Giants
@
Seahawks
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool76011321118
2Manchester CityMan City7520178917
3Arsenal7520156917
4Chelsea6411157813
5Aston Villa6411129313
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle733187112
7Fulham7322108211
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs6312125710
9Brentford73131313010
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton623110829
11Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest62316519
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham72231011-18
13Bournemouth7223810-28
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd621358-37
15Leicester CityLeicester7133912-36
16Everton7124715-85
17Ipswich TownIpswich7043614-84
18Crystal Palace7034510-53
19Southampton7016415-111
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves7016921-121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!