Dimitri Seluk has hit back at Pep Guardiola over his treatment of Manchester City outcast Yaya Toure.
Guardiola has told the veteran midfielder that he won’t play for City again until the outspoken Seluk apologises for comments he has made about the club.
Seluk accused City of ‘humiliating’ Toure earlier this month after the Ivory Coast star was omitted from Guardiola’s squad for the group stages of the Champions League, having made his only appearance of the season in the play-off against Steaua Bucharest.
It is not the first time that Seluk has attacked City in public since Toure joined from Barcelona for £24million in 2010, but Guardiola has drawn a line and demanded that the Monaco-based Ukrainian agent says sorry this time.
However, Seluk has responded to Guardiola’s ultimatum – insisting that he won’t apologise and it should be the Spaniard making amends for his handling of Toure as well as Joe Hart, who is currently on loan at Torino.
‘I will apologise to Guardiola if he will apologise to Pellegrini for what he did to him. If you are a gentleman this just does not happen,’ he told Sky Sports News HQ .
‘He signed a new contract last year then he gets pushed out for Guardiola to come in. Pellegrini was a gentleman.
‘Guardiola also needs to apologise to Joe Hart. It’s not right to come to England and then get rid of a few English players.
‘Guardiola wants a new future for Yaya, for Hart, and they won’t be the last.
‘Guardiola must respect club/country traditions. What’s he done to Hart is incredible. It starts from Pellegrini though – and how they got rid of him.
‘Pep doesn’t want to work with strong personality players. It happened with [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic, it happened with [Samuel] Eto’o, it happened with Joe [Hart], with Yaya.
‘If Guardiola had a problem with Messi he would be out immediately because Messi is more important to Barcelona.’
Asked again whether he would apologise, Seluk finished: ‘Well, what do I need to apologise for?’
‘I don’t understand why I or Yaya must apologise. First of all I don’t say anything special. Secondly I live in a democratic country which means I can say what I want. Guardiola can’t tell me what I can or cannot say. It’s my opinion.
Explaining the reason why Toure will not be considered for Wednesday’s League Cup tie at Swansea, Guardiola warned that the 33-year-old midfielder could be frozen out completely for the remaining eight months of his £220,000-a-week contract at the Etihad unless Seluk shows how much he cares for his client and apologises.
‘It was so difficult for me to leave him (Toure) out of the Champions League, so difficult,’ said Guardiola. ‘I know him and I know he’s a good guy.
‘The day after his manager spoke and in that moment Yaya is out. Except Mr Dimitri Seluk comes back in the press conference or to his friends in the media – because he hasn’t the courage to call me, he goes to the media – and apologise to Manchester City first of all, then his team-mates, and afterwards the trainer.
‘When that happens Yaya will be part of the group and he will have the chance to play.
‘I cannot accept as a coach every agent (who) when his player doesn’t play he goes to the media and speaks. I know how much Dimitri Seluk loves Yaya Toure. If he loves him, show me by apologising to Manchester City for what he did in the papers.
‘I cannot imagine in my day when a player’s agent would go to the media and speak against Johan Cruyff.
‘Maybe it’s the new era but I’m old generation, and an old generation agent has to make his players his job and the coach his job.
‘Today agents believe they are more than they are. If you have a problem, we can talk. Until he speaks, Yaya isn’t going to play.’
Seluk has previously criticised City’s chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain, who were both at Barcelona with Guardiola when Toure was sold to City six years ago.
After seeing his player left out of City’s Champions League squad, Seluk said: ‘It is Pep’s decision and we must respect that.
‘If he wins the Champions League for City this season then I will travel to England and I will say on television that Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world.
‘But 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.
‘Yaya is a professional and so he will do everything he is asked to do. Perhaps Pep will think he is good enough to play in the final 10 minutes of a League Cup game against a third division team – and, yes, I am joking.
‘But what I can tell you is that Yaya will spend the season at City. He will not be leaving in January. He hopes that he will get the chance to prove himself.’
Toure announced his retirement from international football on Tuesday
Seluk added: ‘I said, for example, when Yaya wasn’t picked for the Champions League squad if Pep wins the Champions League I will praise him.
If not though I think he must admit he made a mistake with Yaya. Because Yaya arrived to City six years ago and has already won everything in England and has reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.’
‘I don’t want to apologise because Guardiola wants it. It’s not over because he’d find another thing.’
‘I’ll tell you one thing of course he would prefer if a young player, who doesn’t know many rules, as it’s easier to work with. But when a player has a strong agent who knows all the rules and defends this player of course it will be more difficult from time-to-time for Guardiola and the club.
‘It’s necessary to work though and find a solution. Normally every manager is like a father to all their players. From time-to-time children can make mistakes but a father must not say “you must apologise” every time. You must talk one-on-one with him and make small steps. In my opinion Guardiola must apologise to Yaya and Hart.’
By Luke Augustus