Argentinian will maintain his account of a ‘misunderstanding’. Striker to return to Buenos Aires until suspension ends. Carlos Tevez will be interviewed on Monday as part of the disciplinary process that threatens to end his career at Manchester City, and then intends to fly to Argentina to get away from the controversy.
Tevez has been given permission to return to Buenos Aires as long as he is back in Manchester by the time his suspension ends on 12 October. He had intended to fly last Friday but had to re-arrange after being notified he was needed for an interview with a senior member of the club’s Human Resources department.
That meeting will not take place at either the Etihad Stadium or the club’s training ground, and Tevez will not be told until the morning where to report. The club are anxious for the venue not to be leaked so they can conduct the most important phase of the disciplinary process without the media, or supporters, descending.
Tevez will not be represented by a solicitor at the meeting, on the basis that it is an internal inquiry. But he will have a translator with him as he tries to explain that the language barrier contributed to why he did not come on as a second-half substitute for City during their 2-0 Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich last week.
Mancini has already submitted an official complaint that the player refused to take part, a version of events that has been corroborated in a series of statements taken from those members of the backroom staff who were also in the dugout at the Allianz Arena.
The interview process was originally expected to take in accounts from all of the other substitutes but, as yet, they have not been asked to give their versions of events. With the international break, it may be that those statements will never be taken.
Tevez will be defending himself against Mancini’s allegations that the striker went into a sulk after being overlooked for the team’s first substitution and then refused the manager’s orders to get ready to go on a few minutes later.
The player’s account is that he had already warmed up and did nothing more than tell Mancini there was no need for him to go through the same process again. He will deny saying he did not want to play, despite the post-match interview when he talked of not being in the correct frame of mind.
That apparent admission on television will form a significant part of the inquiry and it will be pointed out to the former Manchester United player that there is a disparity between the two stories. Tevez, however, will continue with his account of it being a «misunderstanding». The club’s decision will be announced later in the week.
guardian.co.uk