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Yaya Toure claims Kolo 'damaged' by drug woe

The Toure brothers are close on and off the pitch © Getty Images

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Yaya Toure has revealed he will find it "very hard" to play for Manchester City during his brother's suspension.

Kolo Toure will not be able to take part in any first team or non-first team games until an investigation into his failed drug test is complete and Yaya, who moved to Eastlands from Barcelona in the summer, is struggling to deal with the news.

"My brother is damaged, and the squad is affected because Kolo is an important man for us and one of our captains, so we want a quick solution to this problem," he said. "We all have confidence in Kolo.

"I am at Manchester City due to the insistence of my brother. For me, it will be very hard to play without him in the team."

Kolo has claimed the positive test came about because he took his wife's diet pills. Former Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny and Hamilton's Simon Mensing were handed nine-month and four-week bans respectively after they claimed they had inadvertently taken specified substances.

Toure's advisor, Valer Gourizro, said the player accepts full responsibility for the mistake but remains confident he will avoid the maximum two-year suspension such offences can carry.

"He blames himself," Gourizro told the Daily Mail. "You can't blame anyone but yourself in this situation. He can't blame his wife, can he?

"He didn't know there was anything in the pills. Sometimes you do things but he didn't realise the consequences. He does now.

"He takes responsibility but believes he's done nothing wrong. We've got a good case and don't think it will be a two-year ban. That would be a great shame because he's one of the cleanest players in the Premier League.

"He's had phone calls from the Arsenal players, Arsene Wenger - everybody. Nobody can believe it. His brother Yaya lives very close and is a big support for him at the moment; so is Patrick Vieira, who he played with at Arsenal. He's got Awo and the kids, and Yaya's family as well. Mentally he's fine.

"The City coach, Mancini, likes him and I spoke to [City football administrator] Brian Marwood last night. He said the club will stand by Kolo and they know that he gives 100% for City."

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