Hey up. I'm not completely fluent in French but I read it well enough to translate the below. This is from the France Football website. There's no mention of the 'discrimination against African players' or the Savic comments, so I dunno where that's from. Maybe, as someone said, they quoted something he said off the record (his remarks about Savic's game against QPR, after all, were completely accurate....)
At 30 years old, Kolo is going through a difficult period. Suspended 6 months for doping, the City defender has played very little since his return on 2nd September. For France football he does an exclusive interview blah blah
Kolo, you were suspended 6 months for taking slimming thingy considered as a doping agent. How did you get through this period?
That was a very difficult period for me. It came down on my head, I wasn't expecting it at all. Fortunately, in the 6 months, I could train 5 months with my club. This period permitted me to reinforce myself, physically and mentally. I came out of it stronger.
Did you feel supported during this period?
I felt supported by everybody; my family, my close friends, my club, my national team and even my country. That helped me a lot
How do you explain that your club gave you an extra fine (6 weeks salary) 2 months after your return?
That's something that surprised me. It was difficult for me, but then the people from the club explained very well to me the reasons. I accepted to draw a line under the story and start playing again. I'm 30, I'm at the best moment of my career, and I want to show certain people that I'm still hungry and that they are wrong about me.
Your suspension finished the 2nd september but you've played very little since then (26 minutes total in the league.) For you, the former captain, that must be difficult to take.
It's a delicate situation for me, and I I know it's going to be difficult to get my place back, since the team is playing well and getting good results. But I'm patient, and the African Cup of Nations is coming (21 jan to 12 feb). The important thing for me is to stay fit, and if the manager needs my services, I'll be ready to respond. If not, I'll be ready for the African CN. I'm staying positive, I know my qualities and I'm working as hard as possible to be stronger.
Is a departure in the winter transfer market conceivable?
Not at the moment. It's difficult to think about that when you're at a club like City. But, in footy, everything can go very fast, one never knows. And then I think he says something like it depends how much I play from now til the window.
Would you be interested in signing for PSG if they got in touch?
Again, it all depends on how much I'm going to play here. I want to play, and if that doesn't happen for me I'll definitely have to ask questions. Today, PSG is a big club, like City Arsenal or Milan, which wants to become one of the best in the world and has invested in big players. That's not nothing. I don't know any player who would refuse PSG.
[then some stuff about ivory coast I can't be bothered to translate]
What's your take on City's start this season?
We've had a massive start to the season. At the moment the strength of City is its attack. City are extremely strong in attack. There are super attackers, but also very technical midfielders and solid defenders. It's solid.
On the other hand it's harder in the Champs league innit?
That's another competition. There are only quality teams, who are tactically strong. Napoli have notably caused us a fair few problems. You need a lot of experience, every error is very expensive. This has been our problem since the beginning.
City's objective this season is therefore the league?
Certainly. We've started well but it's important to stay humble and to concentrate, because the hardest part is just beginning now.
To finish, a little word on the Tevez affair.
It's unfortunate that he's no longer in the line up, for him and for City. He would still be able to bring us a lot, but the manager makes his choices. It seems there's no solution to that situation.
