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‘There was NOTHING on the reverse side’: Yaya Toure’s former agent DENIES receiving secret payments from Man City to top up his £1m-a-month salary, after deal was ‘included in Premier League charges’
- Man City are accused of breaking Premier League rules more than 100 times
- Player remuneration has been included among the charges brought against City
- Yaya Touré’s former agent denies that the club made secret payments
Yaya Toure’s former agent, Dimitri Seluk, has denied receiving secret payments from Manchester City during the midfielder’s time at the club amid a series of charges brought against the reigning Premier League champions.
Manchester City was charged by the Premier League on Monday with 115 breaches of financial rules following a four-year investigation.
Allegations that Seluk received secret payments from Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group are among the charges facing the reigning Premier League champions.
Seluk has denied receiving payments, saying The Guardian that everything was ‘transparent’.
“No, it was all transparent, there was nothing on the back,” Seluk said.
Yaya Toure had been a key part of Manchester City’s success between 2010 and 2018
Toure’s former agent Dimitri Seluk denies allegations Man City had made secret payments
“I’m interested to see what happens as this was a surprise.
‘Yaya, of course, paid everything, taxes and all. Everything was transparent.
Toure’s former agent added that he would be willing to speak with the independent commission, which will be responsible for overseeing the case.
The accusation had initially been made by the German website. Der Spiegel, which published documents from the Football Leaks cache that originated with Portuguese hacker Rui Pinto.
They alleged City had overstated sponsorship revenue, with the money being paid by the club’s owners in Abu Dhabi rather than sponsors linked to the Gulf state.
These were related to sponsorship deals with the airline Etihad, which still sponsors City’s stadium and jerseys, and the telecommunications company Etisalat.
It was alleged that the money actually came from Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group.
The German website also alleged that Abu Dhabi United Group had paid around £3.5 million to Seluk between 2010 and 2015, when Toure was a Manchester City player.
Der Spiegel had alleged that Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group made payments to Seluk
The payments are alleged to have been approved by Man City chief executive Ferran Soriano and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
Toure, who parted ways with his former agent Seluk in 2019, joined City from Barcelona on a £250,000-a-week deal in 2010.
The midfielder was a linchpin during his eight-year spell at City, scoring 79 goals in 316 appearances for the club.
Toure, who is now academy manager at Tottenham, won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and two League Cups at City.
Der Spiegel had also alleged that Italian coach Mancini had received secret payments to increase his salary through a shadow contract that was a consultancy deal with Abu Dhabi-based club Al Jazira.
Mancini has previously declined to comment when asked about the arrangement.
The charges announced by the Premier League on Monday relate to financial information on revenue, details of coach and player remuneration, UEFA regulations, profitability and sustainability and cooperation with Premier League investigations.
A league statement said the alleged financial rule violations occurred from September 2009 through the 2017-18 season and will be referred to an independent commission. City are also facing charges for failing to cooperate with the Premier League investigation, which began in 2018.
It adds that the club is alleged to have breached league rules that require the provision “in the best faith” of “accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position.”
Toure helped Man City win three Premier League titles during his eight years at the club.
City responded to the charges by stating that they had “irrefutable evidence” that they had done nothing wrong and that they hoped the matter would “be put to rest once and for all”.
An independent commission, made up of a panel of three, will rule on the charges in a private hearing.
The commission would have the power to strip City of titles, deduct points, issue fines and potentially expel City from the Premier League if the club is found guilty.
No deadline has been set for the commission to make a decision.