Soccer: Roberto Mancini insists the row regarding Carlos Tevez's apparent refusal to play for Manchester City is not his problem. The debate over Tevez's reported refusal to come off the bench to play against Bayern Munich in midweek has dominated the headlines over the last few days.
Mancini revealed following the 2-0 Champions League defeat in Germany that Tevez had ignored his instructions to come on during the second half as City tried to get back in the game. The City chief was left fuming by Tevez and claimed the Argentine was "finished" with the club as a result of his actions.
Tevez in a statement blamed "confusion on the bench" for the "misunderstanding", denying he refused to play in Munich. The 27-year-old has been suspended for two weeks by City as they investigate the chain of events before making a decision on the future of the forward.
Mancini is trying to draw a line under the unsavoury incident and insists he is focused on helping City achieve success.
"It is finished," said Mancini. "I am the manager, our focus is regarding the Premier League, the Champions League and the FA Cup. Other things - it is not my problem."
City tried to pull down the shutters on the Tevez incident this morning, warning journalists not to ask Mancini about the issue.
Before the usual Friday briefing, City's chief communications officer Victoria Kloss read out a statement in which she said the briefing would be suspended if Mancini was asked about Tevez.
Kloss said: "Questions in relation to Carlos Tevez in general, in relation to his alleged conduct on Tuesday evening and the potential ramifications of that conduct and in relation to his future at the football club is strictly off limits and will not be answered.
"Breaches of this will result in the press conference being suspended. This decision has been made to protect the interests of all parties and safeguard the integrity of the investigation that is currently taking place."
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes empathises with Carlos Tevez and has admitted he too refused to play once during his stellar career at Old Trafford.
"I know Carlos quite well. He's a player who wants to be playing," Scholes told BBC Radio 5 live. "When he's a sub, it will be killing him.
"It's totally up to the manager but Carlos wouldn't have been thinking that. He'll be thinking, 'The manager is against me, why is he not bringing me on? I'm City's best player and he's not playing me'.
"I'm not saying he [Tevez] is right - it's totally up to the manager."
Scholes, who retired from playing in the summer to take up a coaching role at United, refused to play in a League Cup tie in 2001 having been dropped for the previous game against Liverpool.
Scholes explained: "You think you should be playing and my head was all over the place. I thought he [Alex Ferguson] was messing me about, wrongly really. It's up to him what he does with his team.
"I realise it was stupid. I let the manager down and it was something I regretted. It's probably similar to Carlos Tevez's state of mind if it is true he refused to come on."
