Yaya Touré revives Guardiola’s feud: Where does this leave Kolo?

African football legend Yaya Touré has poured fuel on the dying fire of his long-standing feud with his former Barcelona FC and Manchester City FC manager Pep Guardiola.

The former midfielder’s sensational accusations have certainly left his elder brother, Kolo Touré, the current assistant coach for the Citizens, in an awkward position.

Yaya Touré estime qu’il n’a pas reçu toute la reconnaissance qu’il méritait à Manchester City pic.twitter.com/91lYVhtZHE

— ZackNaniTV (@ZackNaniTV) December 3, 2025

The strained relationship between the Spaniard and the Ivorian has always been used as an example of the coach’s reported treatment of African players with contempt, an allegation he denies.

Yaya Touré and Samuel Eto’o were among a few African players to play under Guardiola at Barcelona FC, and both had nothing good to say about the coach. The Cameroonian star left the Spanish La Liga side reportedly because he felt the manager favoured Lionel Messi playing in a more central attacking position.

It was the same case with the Ivorian midfielder, who was, at times, featured out of position in defence around 2008, to create room for Sergio Basquets at the Camp Nou. Yaya Touré eventually fled for Manchester City in 2010, then just an emerging Premier League giant.

Guardiola eventually ended up picking a job at Manchester City in 2016, effectively reuniting with his enemy number one. Soon the inevitable happened, Yaya Touré’s agent Dimitri Seluk accusing the manager and City of failing to wish him well on his birthday. The midfielder’s appearances diminished before he left.

Yaya Touré works as an assistant coach for Saudi Arabia

Now, Yaya Touré, featuring on the ZACK YouTube channel as quoted by Goal.com, pulled no punches recalling how he felt Guardiola ill-treated him at the Camp Nou. The AFCON-winner added that, “I don’t see a man, I see a snake.”

“The Barcelona coach calls me back then and says, ‘You have to come back, it’s important.’ My wife says to me, ‘Are you going to listen to that nonsense? He treated you like dirt, and now he wants you to stay, and you’re going to stay? Let’s go to Manchester, my brother’.

“The guy didn’t play me all year, and at the end of the year, I shine at the World Cup (2010), and he brings me to Barcelona. My wife would tell me about him. ‘Sheytan, he’s not a man, he’s wicked.’ She sees him as a negative person.”

Yaya Touré, who now works as an assistant coach for Saudi Arabia, made 316 appearances for Manchester City, winning three Premier League titles, scoring 80 goals and providing 45 assists.

Manchester City have been a dominant force in the Premier League under the Spaniard who this season made Kolo Touré his deputy, praising the Ivorian’s tactical know-how. The former Premier League champions’ squad has two Africans namely Omar Marmoush (Egypt) and Algerian Rayan Ait-Nouri.