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Mario Balotelli arrives for training at the Carrington Complex on Wednesday afternoon with his girlfriend Rafaella Fico in his White Bentley GT. Eamonn and James Clarke/Eamonn and James Clarke/EMPICS Entertainment
Fight Club

Why always us? Yaya Toure insists he didn't fight with 'brother' Balotelli

“It’s just not true. It didn’t happen. I am a footballer, not a boxer,” the Eastlands midfielder insists.

AS ALEX FERGUSON drives his patched-up squad to an unlikely title, their ‘noisy neighbours’ are in turmoil, we’re told.

The Blues fought back to claim a 3-3 draw with Sunderland on Saturday in a game that saw striker Mario Balotelli argue with Aleksandar Kolorov over who would take a free-kick. Afterwards, reports emerged that Yaya Toure had a ‘dressing-room bust-up’ with the Italian.

But Toure this morning says that he views Balotelli as a “brother” and “loves” him.

“They said I fought with Mario at Swansea and against Sunderland,” he said in an interview with the Daily Mail. “That shocked me. My lawyers called me about this and it was the first I knew about it.

“It’s just not true. It didn’t happen. I am a footballer, not a boxer. People don’t know my relationship with Mario. He’s not my friend, he’s my brother and I love him. To say we had a fight is very sad. It upset me and I feel sorry for Mario. He suffers most from these things.

“At half-time against Sunderland it was very difficult. We are trying to win the league and are losing 2-1. It’s not good. But everybody was quiet. We were just looking at each other, trying to find a way to turn the result.

“But I didn’t even talk to Mario. The next day he sent me a text message saying, ‘Apparently we had a fight’. I just want to stop people writing and thinking that.”

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