Botafogo slam ex-Barcelona star Yaya Toure as a 'coward' for making transfer U-turn

Brazilian side Botafogo have abandoned their pursuit of Yaya Toure and blasted the former Manchester City midfielder for allegedly backtracking on their transfer agreement after he appeared to have reached a deal with their rivals Vasco da Gama.

Botafogo's negotiations with the Ivorian are reported to have started in February and a deal was due to be signed in March when football was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

But Toure, a free agent after leaving Chinese side Qingdao Huanghai last November, appeared in an Instagram video of aspiring Vasco da Gama president Leven Siano saying, “I want to thank Leven for inviting me for this project. I cannot wait to see all the Vasco fans very soon. It's going to be Vasco."

Although Toure announced his association with Vasco da Gama as a done deal, Siano was using the player to campaign for the club's presidency, bringing in the Ivorian as part of his manifesto.

The development infuriated Botafogo vice-president Ricardo Rotenberg who said they have ended their interest in the player who they previously twice reported to have had agreed a deal with. 

“Vasco’s offer proves Yaya doesn’t want to play football, because he agreed to play just next year," said Rotenberg as per Globoesporte.

"He’s a guy whose word means nothing. He had an attitude from those who have no character. He could just have said he didn’t want to play here. Now I don’t want to see him. As Heleno de Freitas [a Botafogo’s idol] said, Botafogo is not a team for cowards.”

Rotenberg went on to accuse Toure of "lacking seriousness," also saying that the 37-year-old is not fit to wear the Botafogo jersey.

The vice-president then compared Toure to Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda who joined the Brazilian club in February.

"I don't think our path was wrong, but Yaya lacked seriousness. He could go to any team, but he had no dignity to give us an answer.

"Yaya does not deserve to wear the Botafogo shirt. He is not like Honda. Thank God it is Honda who is at Botafogo and not Yaya. He is not like Honda off the pitch. He is a guy I don't want to see, I’m blocking him on my cell phone. I don’t want to apologise afterwards, saying he regretted it."