Yaya Toure apologises for offering sex workers to teammates

Former Ivory Coast captain, Yaya Toure has been dropped from a Soccer Aid charity game to be honoured on Sunday.

The former Man City player was asked to leave the team hotel on Friday after posting content on a group WhatsApp chat .

The group included fellow teammates, including several female players and celebrities, who reported his post as offensive.

According to The Sun, the 37-year-old former Ivorian international player also sent a pornographic video showing a naked woman in a bath to the page.

In addition, he reportedly telling his teammates that he could bring 19 sex workers to their five-star hotel in Cheshire.

Toure has admitted his mistake and regrets the negative publicity which has deflected from Sunday’s fundraising game for children’s charity Unicef at Old Trafford.

In a twitter post, Toure apologised for the  ‘inappropriate joke’ he shared which has resulted in him being dropped.

‘I would like to apologise to everyone involved in SoccerAid for an inappropriate joke I deeply regret,’ he wrote on Twitter.

‘It was meant as a joke however I lacked thorough consideration for the feelings of other participants.

‘That being said I deleted the jokes within minutes and I immediately apologised to all inside the group.

‘We gather for a good cause and this deviates the focus of the game which is to bring everyone together to help children around the world.

‘Without being prompted, Yaya posted a video of a naked woman in a bath. She was acting in a lewd manner and it was highly inappropriate.

‘He went on to say he could get 19 women like the one in the video to come to the hotel to the pleasure of those playing the match.’

Toure added: ‘It’s sad to see an inappropriate joke I made attract the attention which should be fully devoted to the beauty of the charity game.

‘Regardless of the circumstances, I want to take full responsibility. I am a grown man who should not be engaged in such jokes.

‘I am very sorry for my mistake and I wish everyone all the best with Soccer Aid on Sunday in raising awareness and funds for important causes.’

A spokesman for SoccerAid said: ‘Inappropriate content was shared in a private group text. The message was quickly deleted and a full apology was made to all.

‘Soccer Aid for Unicef has discussed the above with the individual involved and he has decided to no longer continue to participate in this year’s event.

‘While it was an error of judgment, it was felt that the behaviour didn’t align with the values of the event and its cause, and it was the right thing for him to step back from this year’s match.’

Soccer Aid is a yearly charity game played between an England XI side and World XI team, both teams are made up of ex-players and celebrities,

The year’s fixture will see the likes of Ashley Cole, David James and Wayne Rooney all involved for England XI while Michael Essien, Patrice Evra and Claude Makelele lead a star-studded World XI, which also features celebrities Mo Gilligan, Roman Kemp, and Chelcee Grimes.