Tevez swallows his pride to make the apology which clears comeback path
LONDON: At last Manchester City’s prodigal Argentinian striker Carlos Tevez has come up with the apology which opens the door for manager Roberto Mancini to reinstate him in the squad for the Premier League title run-in writes KEIR RADNEDGE.
Tevez returned to Manchester last week after going AWOL for three months back in Buenos Aires following the controversy over his failure to obey orders while a substitute during the Champions League defeat by Bayern in Munich last September.
Both Tevez as a player and City as a club – with a view to his inevitable departure in the summer – need him to rebuild his value and he can do that only by playing matches. Hence the need for a gesture to break the deadlock.
Now the 28-year-old has apologised “sincerely and unreservedly” for his conduct and withdrawn his appeal against City’s fine of six weeks’ wages for gross misconduct, which was due to be heard by the Premier League in the coming days.
In a statement released by City, Tevez said: “I wish to apologise sincerely and unreservedly to everybody I have let down and to whom my actions over the last few months have caused offence. My wish is to concentrate on playing football for Manchester City Football Club.”
The former Manchester United and West Ham player is ineligible to play in Wednesday’s Europa League tie against Porto having not been registered for the competition. The league leaders then have successive home games against Blackburn and Bolton on February 25 and March 3.
After the touchline clash with Mancini in Munich on September 27 the manager said Tevez was “finished” at the club. Tevez was suspended and later fined for misconduct before he flew back to South America without permission on November 7.
AC Milan, Internazionale and ParisS aint-Germain all expressed interest in signing Tevez in January but not on the terms City wanted. They valued Tevez at £25m and were insisting on a sale not a loan or even a loan with strings.
Tevez, who is thought to have lost £9.3m in wages and bonuses, sparked further controversy shortly before his return last week when he accused Mancini of treating him “like a dog” in Munich but that issue also appears to have been put to rest.
City’s own statement read: “Carlos Tevez has today apologised to all concerned for his recent conduct. “Carlos returned to the football club last Tuesday, following a three-month absence from duties, without permission.
“Carlos has also withdrawn his appeal against the club’s finding of gross misconduct which was due to be heard by a Premier League panel in the coming days. He has since begun a training programme designed to return him to optimum fitness.”
