Elephants Of Ivory Coast Mourn, As Kolo, Yaya Lose Younger Brother

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News, Sports News Friday, June 20th, 2014

Ibrahim Toure, the younger brother of Ivory Coast players Kolo and Yaya Toure, has died at age 28 in Manchester, England.

“Kolo and Yaya Toure just heard about the death of their young brother, Toure Oyala Ibrahim. The entire Ivorian delegation want to show their support to the players,” the Ivory Coast Football Association said in a statement.

“In such a sad situation, the players from the Ivory Coast national team, and the entire delegation here in Brazil, show their support to the Toure brothers and their whole family. The president of Football Ivory Coast Federation and the Executive Committee ask Ivorians for their prayers.”

Ibrahim also had experience as a soccer player, competing for teams in both Egypt and Lebanon.

Ivory Coast next plays Greece on Tuesday. Against Colombia, Yaya was a captain, while Kolo did not play. There has been no word if the brothers will leave the team.

There’s a sad irony to the story. On Thursday, a rumor took flight on Twitter that the father of Ivory Coast’s Serey Die had died just hours before the match. The rumor hinged on Die’s emotional reaction during the playing of Ivory Coast’s national anthem. But as it turned out, Die’s father had died in 2004.