'Our team is not a team for cowards' - Brazilian club Botafago slam Yaya Toure after he refused to sign for them

Brazilian football club Botafogo have slammed African football star Yaya Toure for allegedly backtracking on their transfer agreement after he appeared in a video with rival club Vasco da Gama.

Botafogo started negotiations with the Ivorian in February after Toure became a free agent after leaving Chinese side Qingdao Huanghai last November.

Toure was supposed to be signed in March by Botafogo when football was suspended due to the worldwide Coronavirus outbreak.

Surprisingly Toure 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.”

A video that infuriated Botafogo officials who were hopeful that Toure had signed with them.

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, as Vasco had not reached an agreement with the player.

The development has now angered Botafogo vice-president Ricardo Rotenberg who said they have ended their interest in the player.

“Vasco’s offer proves Yaya doesn’t want to play football, because he agreed to play just next year,” said Rotenberg to 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 he is not fit to wear the Botafogo jersey.

He also 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.”

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