Manchester City have launched a bizarre bid to take away £1.5million of Kolo Toure’s image rights in a bitter battle over his failed drugs test.
The stunned Ivory Coast defender has told friends he will consider leaving the club in January if they succeed at a hearing, due to take place later today, chaired by club executive Brian Marwood.
City first tried to fine the £120,000-a-week star around £500,000, but have now decided to go for Toure’s image rights, which are are worth 20-25 percent of his earnings. But there is incredulity among the City players that, with the club doing so well on the pitch, top brass would put themselves on collision course with another top player.
They’re also in dispute with Carlos Tevez.
Toure’s younger brother Yaya is also said to be angry at the debacle but it is understood manager Roberto Mancini has no involvement in the pursuit of the former Arsenal star.
The Toure camp say City’s stance represents a double standard since they supported the player during the legal process and disciplinary hearings with the FA, which ended with a six-month ban in May from the World Anti-Doping agency.
Toure, who returned to action in September, had failed a drug test after taking one of his wife’s slimming pills, containing a banned substance, to help control his weight.
No disciplinary action was taken by City at the time and he received his image rights payment as normal in August.
Mirror
Roberto Mancini stands by criticism of Manchester City's Adam Johnson
Adam Johnson 'refused to board bus' home from Wolves • Roberto Mancini says comments will improve winger's game
Roberto Mancini faces yet more player unrest after it was reported that Adam Johnson initially refused to board the team bus after the Carling Cup victory at Molineux last Wednesday night. The winger was said to be angered by the Italian's public criticism, especially after a game in which he scored one goal and created another for Samir Nasri.
The 24-year-old was eventually persuaded on to the coach but, following the Carlos Tevez affair, the incident has further highlighted the problems Mancini faces in keeping his expensively assembled squad happy.
The City manager, however, said that he will not hold back from criticising the winger because he thinks the comments will make him a better player in the long run. In a post-match interview on Wednesday Mancini said that, even though City were leading Wolves 5-1, Johnson should have tracked back to stop Stephen Ward providing the assist for Jamie O'Hara. Mancini said he was "disappointed he doesn't put everything on to the pitch".
After Johnson had scored again against Wolves on Saturday Mancini defended his stance, saying it was a deliberate policy to provoke the player to greater heights. He added that the England manager, Fabio Capello, was of the same opinion and that Johnson could and should reach the same levels of performance as his team-mate David Silva.
"I am happy he is upset," said Mancini. "I love Adam. It is like with the children in your family. If you love your children, then sometimes you should be hard with them and Adam understands this. I say what I want because, if he were not a good player, then I wouldn't waste my time on him. But because he has everything, I don't want him stopping at this level. I want him up a level and then a level more.
"He has some characteristics that are different from other players and because of this he could become one of the top wingers in the game. If you have a top winger, you are going to win a lot of games. One versus one, he is incredible, every time he takes the ball out wide near the box, we can score a goal or at least have a chance."
Mancini's treatment of Johnson, whom he bought from Middlesbrough in his first transfer window as manager of City, called to mind comments from his predecessor, Mark Hughes, that the Italian was "autocratic". Hughes said of Mancini before the Manchester derby: "I am not sure if he indulges players, tries to get to know them or understand them. He never can put his arm around a player – he is not that sort of manager."
In bloodlessly removing Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy, two of the most combustible footballers he inherited from Hughes, Mancini demonstrated his control of the dressing room at Eastlands even before the conflagration with Tevez that has dominated the start to City's season.
Mancini argued that his attitude towards Johnson came from a determination that the player should not fail. "I have seen so many players like Adam in my life, both when I played and since I have been a manager," he said, adding that Johnson had played with more discipline against Wolves at the Etihad Stadium than he had shown at Molineux.
"Sometimes players like Adam play very well in one game but only so-so the next. He should not think: 'I have scored a goal, this is enough.'
"He has played in the Premier League for two and a half seasons now and he has played for the national team. Fabio Capello and I are of the same opinion. A player like him should play well every game, like David Silva." Guardian
[spoiler]Kim Kardashian
[/spoiler]OTHER BOLLOX
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has targeted experienced Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, 32 and striker Michael Owen, 31, in a £10m double swoop. Caught offside
Wycombe's 15-year-old prospect Jordan Ibe has rejected a £100,000 move to Fulham because he wants to join a bigger club.
the Sun
Championship leaders Southampton want to boost their promotion push with the capture of 25-year-old Doncaster striker Billy Sharp. Daily Mirror
Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, 31, could be out for over a month after leaving hospital with an infected ankle in plaster. the Sun
QPR defender Anton Ferdinand could go public with his version of events in his racism row with Chelsea centre-back John Terry. Daily Express
Everton chairman Bill Kenwright has opened talks with wealthy Indian company the Jain Group about investing in the cash-strapped Merseyside club. Daily Mirror
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas accused his players of "broken promises" in a heated training ground inquest into Saturday's 5-3 defeat by Arsenal. Daily Mail
Veteran Swansea midfielder Mark Gower, 33, will be given a new contract by the Premier League club. the Sun
Stoke boss Tony Pulis has slammed Premier League chiefs for moving his side's game against Newcastle to this evening. City then face a 7,500-mile round-trip to Israel to play Hapoel Tel-Aviv in the Europa League before returning to play at Bolton on Sunday. Pulis said: "We've only had one game that kicked off at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon - that's out of 18 matches." Daily Mirror
Former Doncaster boss Sean O'Driscoll is set to be unveiled as Portsmouth's new manager. Daily Mirror
Leicester are considering a move to bring former manager Nigel Pearson back to the King Power Stadium. Daily Mirror
QPR boss Neil Warnock reckons defender Anton Ferdinand is good enough to play for England - now he has stopped 'thinking he's Franz Beckenbauer'. the Guardian
Newcastle defender Steven Taylor admits Stoke are the last team he wants to face with a mask protecting his broken nose. Daily Mirror
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