ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:ROBERTO MANCINI'S insistence that Carlos Tevez is "finished" at Manchester City could be tested, should the club's success give the striker a chance to terminate his €285,000-a-week contract.
Under Article 15 of Fifa’s statutes, Tevez could seek to leave City on the grounds of “sporting just cause” next summer if, as an established professional, he has appeared in fewer than 10 per cent of their official matches. So far the 27-year-old has appeared in five matches for City and the club are guaranteed to play 48 games – 38 in the Premier League, six Champions League group ties, the FA Cup third round and three League Cup games, now that they have reached the quarter-finals.
Further success in the cups, or the Europa League should City finish third in their Champions League group, would take them over 50 games and Tevez below the 10 per cent threshold, unless he plays for the club again. Appearances as a substitute count.
City are aware of Fifa’s ruling and are confident Tevez will not be able to activate Article 15 by the end of the season. The rule also states that “a sporting just cause shall be established on a case-by-case basis” and given the misconduct charge and the fine of two weeks’ wages the striker received for his actions in the Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich, City may argue Tevez represents an exceptional case.
He missed four matches as a result of the two-week suspension he was given after the Bayern game, which could work in City’s favour should their former captain pursue a “sporting just cause”.
The Fifa ruling, plus the Professional Footballers’ Association’s refusal to allow City to impose a fine of four weeks’ wages, demonstrate the predicament facing the club despite Mancini’s determination to progress without last season’s leading goalscorer.
The City manager has moved on to discussing whether he will require a new fourth striker, to complement Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko, when the transfer window reopens in January.
“For now, I think we should focus on the next two months,” he said. “If we don’t have any injuries or problems with the players we have I think we can continue with three strikers [from January] because we have David Silva and Samir Nasri, who can play as a second striker.”
Mancini, who is facing a possible defamation charge from Tevez, over comments made after the match at the Allianz Arena, denied the PFA ruling was a setback to City. The manager, who confirmed Kolo Toure would also face a disciplinary hearing over his failed drugs test, said: “This is not my problem. For me it is not important whether it is two weeks or four weeks.”
Tevez’s former manager at Manchester United said the PFA decision was “a bit crazy”. Alex Ferguson said: “I think it’s a bit strange. The rules and regulations are there, that’s a fact, and Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the PFA, has said the maximum fine you can give a player is two weeks. It seems a bit crazy in that particular situation but it’s there and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Mancini also warned City against complacency after their 6-1 win at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Guardian Service
