• FA Cup

Toure brothers set to miss FA Cup clash against United

ESPN staff
January 5, 2012
Yaya and Kolo Toure will join the Ivory Coast squad on Sunday © Getty Images
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Yaya and Kolo Toure are set to be unavailable for Manchester City's FA Cup clash against Manchester United after Ivory Coast coach Francois Zahoui rejected the club's request to allow them to join up with the Elephants squad late.

City boss Roberto Mancini, who has claimed he may be unable to field a full squad for the clash against rivals United at Eastlands on Sunday, had asked Zahoui if he would allow the pair to play before joining the Ivory Coast camp.

Under FIFA rules, players can be called up to two weeks before the competition, which starts on January 21. Zahoui has refused to relax his stance, and has insisted the pair report for duty in Paris on Saturday before the squad flies to Abu Dhabi for a two-week training camp on Sunday.

"Clubs know the rules," Zahoui told the BBC. "I'm expecting them for the FIFA deadline."

Kolo Toure has re-established his place in City's starting XI following his six-month ban for failing a drugs test, while Yaya, who scored the winner in last season's FA Cup final, has scored six goals in his last 13 matches.

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