Re: Rooney really is
EXCLUSIVE: Yaya ready to quit Ivory Coast and save City another ACN nightmare
Published 22:00 18/02/12 By Simon Mullock
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Yaya Toure has revealed he could quit international football – and save Manchester City from another African Cup of Nations nightmare.
Toure, 28, will wait until the heartbreak of Ivory Coast’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Zambia in last weekend’s final has eased before deciding whether to call time on his 67-cap career.
But the Africa Cup of Nations is scheduled to be played next January again and Toure says it will be tough to once more turn his back on the club who pay his £220,000-a-week wages.
City were knocked out of the FA Cup and Carling Cup during Toure’s absence. And the midfielder said: “We will see whether I carry on.
“I have to think about what is best for me, for my club and for my country. I love playing for Ivory Coast so it is not an easy thing to think about.
“Maybe if we had won against Zambia things would have been easier for me. The disappointment is big at the moment so I will wait until I have a clear mind before deciding what to do.
“The African Nations is being played again next year and because we have lost the final it is an emotional time for us all.
“But a decision about playing for Ivory Coast has to be made. I will take my time and think about things, about what I will do.”
Toure was disappointed that Ivory Coast coach Francois Zahoui (below) refused his request to report a day late for African Nations duty so that he could play in the FA Cup third-round tie against Manchester United.
And Zahouri was also criticised for substituting his star midfielder with extra-time looming in the final.
Toure added: “City are my club. I have a duty to them because I am a professional, but I also needed to play for my country.
“I did my duty, but I didn’t like being away from my City at such an important stage of the season.
“I really wanted to play against United in the FA Cup but could not get permission to be there.
“When I left we were in the two cups. When I came back we were out. I am happy that we are still first in the Premier League. That’s the most important thing the aim is to stay there.”
Toure feels his determination to win the title has been strengthened by Ivory Coast’s failure.
Wayne Rooney used his Twitter account to taunt Yaya and brother Kolo about the defeat to Zambia.
And after immediately hitting his powerful stride when he returned to the City team that won 2-1 at Porto in the Europa League on Thursday night, the younger Toure wants to make the Manchester United striker pay for the insult.
Toure said: “If Rooney thought Ivory Coast losing was funny then that’s up to him. I like Rooney. He is a great player.
“He will know a lot of the Ivory Coast players like me, Kolo, (Cheick) Tiote and (Didier) Drogba so he’ll have an opinion.
“I think many people believed Ivory Coast would win. Even my friends said to me that they thought it was impossible that we would lose. All I can say is that losing in the African Nations has made my determination to win the Premier League even bigger.
“Hopefully at the end of the season it will be me laughing and not Rooney. That would be good.”