MANCHESTER — Carlos Tevez may sue Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini for defamation of character, according to sources in the Argentine striker’s camp.
On Tuesday, City fined Tevez four weeks wages — about £1m — for what they say were five separate breaches of contract in a game against Bayern Munich.
A club investigation found Tevez guilty of refusing to play in the match.
But Tevez has been advised that Mancini’s post-match comments on the matter could amount to defamation.
The player, who has 14 days to appeal to the club board against the charge, continues to assert that at no time during the Champions League match in Germany in September was he told he was to be brought on to play and he is understood to be considering his legal options.
Should any internal appeal by Tevez fail then the striker has the option of taking the matter to a Premier League tribunal.
Tevez and his advisers believe that none of the five reasons given by Manchester City for upholding the charge of misconduct is correct, and that Mancini’s assertion immediately after the game that he refused to play could therefore equate to defamation.
The breaches of contract cited by City include “an obligation to participate in any matches in which the player is selected” and a failure to follow the instructions of his manager City has decided not to extend the two-week suspension already served by Tevez.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The player, who has not played since the Carling Cup match against Birmingham on September 21, was therefore theoretically available for selection for City’s Carling Cup fourth-round tie at Wolves last night.
But a departure from Eastlands in January seems inevitable, with Tevez having trained alone since returning to the club after suspension.
Mancini is also unlikely to wish to unsettle a squad that is now five points clear at the top of the Premier League after thrashing city rivals Manchester United 6-1 on Sunday.
