Mancini told striking Tevez: F*** off to Argentina



Furious Roberto Mancini swore at Carlos Tevez after the Manchester City striker refused to play against Bayern Munich.

Mancini is alleged to have told Tevez he could “f***off back to Argentina” after the former City skipper defied his boss by refusing to come off the bench in Tuesday's Champions League group game.

City boss Mancini is also understood to have directed a similar volley of abuse at Edin Dzeko, telling him to “f*** off back to Bosnia,” after he reacted angrily to being subbed in the 2-0 defeat.

Tevez was suspended on Wednesday night for two weeks - the maximum allowed - and banished from the training ground while the club conducts an investigation into why he refused to play.


Mancini said Tevez would never play for City again after his public show of defiance and disloyalty, and the club's owners are backing their boss, having finally lost patience with their capricious striker.

Billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour and his backroom team have taken an extremely dim view of Tevez’s latest act of petulance, with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak understood to have backed Mancini’s hardline stance.

Tevez’s antics over the past year - twice demanding a move from City, as well as bad-mouthing the club and Manchester itself - have exasperated the club’s hierarchy, and their patience finally snapped after Tuesday’s extraordinary episode in Munich.

For his part, Tevez is said to feel “victimised” by Mancini, having been stripped of the captaincy and losing his first-team place to fellow Argentine Sergio Aguero after causing so much turmoil at the club last summer with his repeated demands to leave.

Although terminating the player’s contract would see City jettison a top-class forward worth £40m-50m on the transfer market, there is no mood at the club to indulge such a disruptive influence any longer.

Tevez has released a statement apologising for the incident, the intention of which is clearly damage-limitation.

It read: "There was some confusion on the bench and I believe my position may have been misunderstood. I would like to apologise to all Manchester City fans, with whom I have always had a strong relationship, for any misunderstanding that occurred in Munich.

"They understand that when I am on the pitch I have always given my best for the club. In Munich on Tuesday, I had warmed up and was ready to play. This is not the right time to get into specific details as to why this did not happen.

“But I wish to state that I never refused to play. Going forward, I am ready to play when required and to fulfil my obligations."

Despite Tevez's statement, there is a feeling at City that the point of no return has finally been reached with the 27-year-old.

A sale in January's transfer window, with Tevez training in isolation or with the club’s reserves until then, is the likeliest scenario, as City are happy to cut their losses and take a major hit on a player who has now become more of a liability than an asset.

Brazilian side Corinthians remain keen on Tevez, despite failing with an audacious bid of £35m for the Argentina international last summer.

But with City now desperate to offload him, the forward could be available for a relatively modest fee of around £20m.

CARLOS THE JACKASS: TIMELINE OF HIS TEMPESTUOUS CAREER

Corinthians 2005-06: 47 apps, 31 goals Tevez’s time at Corinthians (celebrating daughter’s birth with dummy after scoring, left) was also fractious and he has previous in refusing to play a match. Despite a fantastic record, he was chastised by fans and the club for failing to turn up for a derby match against Palmeiras in 2006. He also had a training ground fight with team mate Marquinhos the same year

West Ham (Loan) - 2006-07: 29 apps, 7 goals Tevez made a shock move to West Ham, alongside Argentina team-mate Javier Mascherano, in August 2006. Benched at the start of his Upton Park career, he played his way into the starting line up under Alan Curbishley. The Argentine scored some vital goals for the club, including the winner on the last day of the season at Old Trafford (left) to avoid relegation. However, the loan move had been engineered by Kia Joorabchian’s Media Sports Investments and West Ham were found guilty by the Premier League of breaching third party ownership rules over the transfer. The club were fined £5.5m, but the controversy continued as Sheffield United (who were relegated in West Ham’s place) pursued legal action, eventually being awarded up to £20m in 2009.

Manchester United (Loan) 2007-09: 99 apps, 34 goals Having scored against them on the final day of the season, Manchester United signed Tevez on a two-year loan in summer 2007. United were careful not to fall foul of the same ownership regulations as West Ham, delaying completion of the transfer. Joorabchian also took West Ham to court to secure Tevez’s release, paying a £2m settlement to secure the move to United. A productive first season saw him net 19 goals in 48 appearances. However, the signing of Dimitar Berbatov limited his opportunities in 2008-09, and he fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson having been relegated to the bench. Despite his popularity with the club’s fans, Tevez rejected United’s attempts to sign him permanently, for an agreed £25.5m, following his breakdown of relations with the club.

Manchester City (£47m) 2009-present: 84 apps, 52 goals Controversy again surrounded Tevez’s next move as he joined United’s local rivals Manchester City for a reported £47m. A ‘Welcome to Manchester’ banner greeted his arrival as City attempted to goad their neighbours over the coup. Tevez also aimed swipes at his former club, including a public spat with former United team mate Gary Neville during a League Cup match in 2010. His fine performances on the pitch (resulting in 43 league goals in his first two seasons) were often overshadowed by his attitude off it. Signed by Mark Hughes, Tevez’s relations with Hughes’ successor, Roberto Mancini, were often strained. Issues including problems with training, homesickness and a transfer request culminated in a refusal to enter the field of play as a substitute for a Champions League tie with Bayern Munich. Despite Tevez’s denials, Mancini has stated that he will never play for the club again.

Compiled by Callum O’Toole