Ibrahim Toure, a brother to Ivorian stars Yaya and Kolo Toure, has died at the age of 28 in Manchester, UK.
The Toure brothers, who play in the English Premier League, learnt of the death of their younger brother while at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The Ivorian Football Association commiserated with the players in a statement on Friday from Brazil.
It said, “The entire Ivorian delegation wants to show their support to the players (Yaya and Kolo).
“In such a sad situation, the Cote D’Ivoire team and the entire delegation here in Brazil, show their support to the Toure brothers and their family.”
It added that the President of the Ivorian Football Federation and the Executive Committee had asked Ivorians for their prayers for the Toure family.
Ibrahim Toure played as a striker throughout his career, most recently with Lebanese team Al-Safa SC.
Yaya, who plays for Manchester City FC, and Kolo who is of Liverpool FC were given the news of Ibrahim’s death only hours after the team lost their second World Cup match 1-2 to Colombia on Thursday.
The Elephants, who won their first match 2-1 against Japan, will complete their Group C fixtures against Greece on Tuesday. (NAN)
