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Yaya Toure was visibly angry at the disgusting racist abuse he suffered from CSKA Moscow fans in 2013.

And the small group of English journalists who spoke to the Manchester City midfielder in the immediate aftermath of the monkey chants at the Khimki Arena, shared his anger.

Two of those reporters – myself included - were asked to bear witness to Uefa about the events, which were denied by the Russian club, who would possibly deny the existence of a nose on your face if questioned.

So, five years on, Toure's claim that Pep Guardiola has a problem with African players has been greeted with sadness and dismay.

Guardiola has his faults but he is not a racist.

And Toure's comments cheapen and undermine the fight against real racism, at a time when it is rearing its ugly head again, in Trump's America and Brexit Britain.

It is understandable that Toure should be feeling hurt, and perhaps a little humiliated.

He has been a monolith at Manchester City, arguably the greatest player in their history and his final season was, by contrast, humdrum and frustrating for him.

But the persistent poison put about by his agent Dmitri Seluk over the last eight years, and now this scurrilous allegation, have sullied his legacy.

When City get round to building statues for today's heroes, Toure's football exploits make him a prime candidate but his conduct since his farewell to the Blues last month does not.

If Guardiola has such a problem, why on earth would he rubber-stamp the new one-year contract which was afforded Toure last summer, a clear recognition of the way the Ivorian had recaptured his ability to control and dictate games.

Toure's form in the second half of that 2016-17 season warranted a new short-term deal, but no-one would have been in revolt had he not got one.

With Fernandinho establishing himself as the new midfield kingpin, Toure was no longer the main man.

And this season, his ageing legs were only too evident.

He had a fine end to the season, rolling back the years with his own brand of precision passing and intelligent possession football.

But by that point, it mattered little – City had the title wrapped up.

Earlier in the season, when given the chance to shine, he did not take it. And that is the real reason he did not figure.

MEN Sport has been a huge admirer of Toure over the years, but our ratings of him in his final season were lukewarm, at best.

Against Wolves in the League Cup we said he “strolled through the game and was, as always, neat and influential, without ever bursting into the full creative mode that City badly needed”.

Against Feyenoord, we noted that “he lacks Fernandinho's dynamism these days”.

Then we said he was “overrun” by Shakhtar Donetsk and that his passing “no longer forces the issue” as City were held by Bristol City in the league Cup semi-finals.

Our assessments were honest, and not driven by any agenda against any players, whether African or not, and Guardiola was seeing the same performances.

Stack his displays against those of the rest of the squad, and they look even more ordinary.

Giving Toure a one-year extension looked like good business at the time, but it ended up souring his relationship with the club and the fans who adored him.

A terrible shame.