The 14th edition of Soccer Aid takes place on Sunday and features a star-studded list of footballing legends and celebrities as England and the Rest of the World lock horns once again.
England’s team for the clash at Old Trafford includes Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Jack Wilshere and Jermain Defoe, while Leonardo Bonucci, Carlos Tevez, David Trezeguet, Nemanja Vidic, Edwin van der Sar and John O’Shea are the legends for the Rest of the World.
One man who is not included this time around is Yaya Toure, who made his only appearance in the UNICEF charity clash back in 2018 at Old Trafford.
The former Manchester City and Barcelona midfielder did get the invite in 2020 for the match at the Theatre of Dreams but was dropped from the squad in disgrace.
Toure withdrew from the fixture after The Sun reported that he offered to hire sex workers for his teammates at the five-star hotel in a message sent in the WhatsApp chat.
The Ivorian also posted a video of a naked woman in a bath in the chat, which included female players and stars from both teams.
Many complained to UNICEF and ITV about Toure’s contents and despite deleting the messages and apologising, Soccer Aid teammates told him to take a step back as his “behaviour didn’t align with the values of the event and its cause”.
Yaya Toure featured once in Soccer Aid but has not received a recall. Image: Getty
Yaya Toure issued an apologetic statement on social media
After being booted from the game, which was taking place behind closed doors because of COVID-19, Toure issued a full statement for what he acknowledged was an “inappropriate joke”.
“I would like to apologise to everyone involved in Soccer Aid for an inappropriate joke I deeply regret,” the father of three wrote on X. It was meant as a joke, however, I lacked thorough consideration for the feelings of all the 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.
“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 wish everyone all the best with Soccer Aid on Sunday in raising awareness and funds for important causes.”
Toure, who won the Champions League with Barcelona and two Premier League titles with Manchester City, is currently the assistant manager for the Saudi Arabia national team.
