Toure denies supposed fight with Balotelli

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has stated that rumours that he had a bust-up with team-mate Mario Balotelli are completely false.

Reports indicated that the Ivory Coastinternational and the temperamental forward had clashed in the City dressing room at half-time of their 3-3 draw with Sunderland at the weekend, but Toure denies this.

“They said I fought with Mario at Swansea and against Sunderland,” he told The Daily Mail.

“That shocked me. My lawyers called me about this and it was the first I knew about it.

“It’s just not true. It didn’t happen. I am a footballer, not a boxer. People don’t know my relationship with Mario. He’s not my friend, he’s my brother and I love him.

“To say we had a fight is very sad. It upset me and I feel sorry for Mario. He suffers most from these things.

“At half-time against Sunderland it was very difficult. We are trying to win the league and are losing 2-1. It’s not good. But everybody was quiet. We were just looking at each other, trying to find a way to turn the result.

“But I didn’t even talk to Mario. The next day he sent me a text message saying, “Apparently we had a fight”. I just want to stop people writing and thinking that,” he concluded.