YAYA TOURE last night launched an impassioned defence of his brother Kolo by declaring: 'He's not guilty.'
Midfield raider Yaya could not believe his ears when he heard Kolo had failed a drugs test.
He insisted: "Kolo is a sane person - he did not use any substance that was illegal."
But Manchester City team-mate Yaya admitted that the prospect of being labelled a drugs cheat has already had a negative effect on Kolo.
He said: "My brother is damaged. And the squad is affected because Kolo is an important man for us and one of our captains. So we want a quick solution to this problem.
"We all have confidence in Kolo. I am at Manchester City due to the insistence of my brother. For me it will be very hard to play without him in the team."
Kolo's personal manager Valer Gourizro was equally shocked but revealed City would be standing by their man.
Gourizro said: "Kolo's reputation speaks for itself and we're positive about that - he's a clean player.
"He's got everybody around him - his family, friends, the club, everything. Everybody in the game loves him.
"He's lucky that he's got Yaya as well as Patrick Vieira, who he played with at Arsenal. It's good to have them around him at the moment.
"The coach, Roberto Mancini, likes him and I spoke to Brian Marwood at City last night.
"He said that the club will stand by Kolo and they know that he gives 100 per cent and does a lot of work for the club.
"He's had phone calls from everybody in the game - the Arsenal players, Arsene Wenger, everybody. Nobody can believe it. It's just a pity he's taken a substance that turns out to be banned.
"He's a devout Muslim and prays four to five times every day. He never goes to nightclubs, he's always back home with his family. I couldn't believe it when he told me.
"When he called me he was in shock. You would be in shock when you're not expecting something like that.
"I spoke with Kolo on the day the test came back positive and again last night. He called me two days after the Manchester United game. They test one player who played and one on the bench, which was Kolo.
"He was very surprised he tested positive. He didn't realise the substance was there. I had a bit of a joke with him and told him to read the back of the bottle next time.
"He did it to lose some weight. His wife was using the tablets. He didn't know it contained a banned substance. I've not spoken to him about the B-sample yet. But I think he'll be fine.
"Kolo must decide by Wednesday whether to submit his B-sample for testing. He faces a two-year ban but we've got a good case and don't think it will be a two-year ban.
"He might just get a warning. Another player tested positive recently and only got four weeks.
"He'll take the punishment on the chin and face life. But we trust our defence. We'll leave that to our legal people because they'll deal with it properly.
"We haven't spoken to them yet but we'll be setting up an appointment for Tuesday or Wednesday."
Kolo's Ivory Coast team-mate Emerse Fae also rallied behind the central defender, insisting he is a clean-living home lad.
The Nice midfielder, who spent a season in the Premier League with Reading, said he would bet his life that Toure is innocent and believes he is the victim of a mistake.
Fae said: "This does not seem like Kolo at all. He is a very home-loving guy, who leads a healthy life.
"I would be prepared to bet my life that he is innocent in this matter.
"When he plays for the Ivory Coast he is like a big brother to the rest of us. I am convinced that the result of the B-sample will clear his name."
The Toure bombshell brought a warning from QPR keeper Paddy Kenny, who was once banned for nine months having testing positive for ephedrine while at Sheffield United.
Kenny always maintained he fell victim to tablets to combat a chest infection. He said: "Every professional has to check, check and check again what he is taking.
"To be banned for nine months - you just start thinking, 'That's it, my career is over'."
WAG OF THE DAY
OTHER BOLLOX
A man armed with a dagger is reported to have tried to stab Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho as he signed autographs in a Spanish airport.
A member of the club's security staff was said to have received a 4cm (1.5in) stab wound in the incident at La Coruna in Galicia, northern Spain.
The incident happened last Friday but has only just been reported by the Cadena Ser news channel.
It is not clear if Mr Mourinho was aware of the attack at the time.
Cadena Ser says the security staff member did not realise he had been stabbed until he was on the team bus.
However, security cameras at the airport may have captured the incident, it says.
Quoting a source at Real Madrid, Cadena Ser says the club has increased security for its game against Racing Santander this weekend.
Chelsea are ready to sell defender Jose Bosingwa and forward Salomon Kalou in the summer. Daily Mirror
Arsenal full-back Gael Clichy could attempt to force through a controversial move to rivals Spurs or Liverpool amid rumours that talks over a new contract have broken down. Metro
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce says he will plead with Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson to let him have striker Danny Welbeck on loan again next season. Daily Mirror
AC Milan are weighing up whether to join Arsenal in the race to sign Southampton's 17-year-old winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Daily Mail
Aston Villa are leading the chase for £15m-rated Lille striker Gervinho. Liverpool and Tottenham are also interested in the 24-year-old Ivory Coast forward. Daily Mail
Spartak Moscow are preparing for a £20m bid for Aiden McGeady from Zenit St Petersburg. Daily Mirror
Liverpool's new striker Luis Suarez hopes his goals can help prevent Manchester United from winning a record 19th league title. Daily Mirror
As his team prepare to play Liverpool at the weekend, Manchester United midfielder Ryan Giggs insists there is no better feeling than beating Liverpool at Anfield. Daily Mirror
Ipswich striker Jason Scotland wants to score against promotion hopefuls Cardiff to help his former club Swansea win promotion. Daily Mirror
Birmingham's Liam Ridgewell has claimed watching inspirational DVDs helped his team beat Arsenal in the Carling Cup final. Daily Mirror
Gerrard Houllier has defended his weakened team selection for Aston Villa's FA Cup defeat on Wednesday by admitting that his side are not good enough to beat Manchester City and he did not fancy a replay had the match been drawn. Daily Express
