Football: Toure denies Balotelli bust-up

MANCHESTER: Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure dismissed reports of dressing-room bust-ups with teammate Mario Balotelli. Reports alleged the pair clashed at half-time in City’s 3-3 draw at home to Sunderland last weekend as well as during the defeat at Swansea. But Toure said he views Balotelli as a ‘brother’ and ‘loves’ him. “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 didn’t happen. He’s not my friend, he’s my brother and I love him.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2012.