Taylor upset over City’s Toure probe

GORDON Taylor last night labelled Manchester City’s decision to hold a disciplinary hearing with Kolo Toure over his failed drugs test as “strange”.

Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), attended yesterday’s hearing with Toure with the outcome of the gross misconduct charge expected later this week.

Toure, who has served a six-month ban imposed by the FA, produced character references from his former club Arsenal and a number of fellow players. He insists he tested positive because he took one of his wife’s slimming pills not knowing it contained a banned substance.

Taylor said: “We have had the hearing and we presented the fact that the FA could have given him two years but only gave him six months because they took into account that it was a genuine mistake.

“It just seems strange that after being welcomed back to the club, someone has come up with this hearing.

“Instead of sending out a message that this is someone who has made a mistake and served his punishment, they are taking action against him again.”

City, however, insist that the PFA were consulted about the hearing as far back as July.