On Tuesday evening Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez showed an unbelievable arrogance and disrespect to his team mates, manager, supporters and football in general by refusing to make a substitute appearance for his club againgst Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
Not since Pier Van Hooijdonk refusing to play for Nottingham Forrest in 1998 to push through a transfer, have I ever witnessed something so shameful and disappointing from a so-called professional footballer.
By refusing to make his substitute appearance Tevez has quite literally bitten the hand that feeds him, in fact I would go as far as to say he has gone even further and actually bitten off the hand that feeds him because there can be no way back for him now at City after his spectacular tantrum.
It’s been the main talking point since Tuesday evening and it has made all the headlines totally over shadowing City’s first away game in the Champions League. This is typical of Tevez as controversy has followed him throughout his career wherever he has played his football.
One thing Tevez has always tried to do from what I have seen from his time in England at West Ham, Manchester United & Manchester City is try to get the supporters on his side. His “I love the supporters and always give 110%” comment is starting to grate on the fans who have idolised him and paid money to watch him play, and paid to have his name and number put on the back of their shirts and chanted his name passionately.
Sky Sports pundit and ex footballer Graeme Souness held no punches when he was asked about the Tevez saga straight after the match, he said:
“The owner or whoever is running Manchester City now has to help the manager and get him [Tevez] as far away as possible from the club. It’s not about money with Man City, but he is one bad apple”.
“Tevez epitomises what the man in the street thinks is wrong with modern football players”.
Souness’s scathing attack was absolutely spot on and everybody I have spoken to has agreed 100% with the comments he made, Souness was clearly angered by what Tevez had done and this showed in his passionate angry outburst on the situation threatening to infect City like a virus would once it has infected your computer. Like any virus you have to get rid of it immediately before it does more harm.
This is a man who truly does not know what he has. The sound of his reported £200,000 per week salary and numerous millions earned through signing on fee’s is enough to make the average man in the street squint with envy. The fact Tevez is so well paid intensifies the anger against him for what he did from his supporters and people in world of football.
Tevez’s job as an employee at City is to play football, something that all people who love the game would give their right arm for. The chance to earn a fortune in a short career and have your name sung from the terraces is a scenario that most people have, and can only dream about.
I was listening to talkSPORT yesterday and a man called in to say that his 5 year old son asked him why why did Tevez not want to play football? Try explaining the players motives to a 5 year old kid who loves football and cannot understand how a footballer could refuse to play the beautiful game.
I read Gary Neville’s autobiography recently and his book has a small piece on Tevez, Neville said:
“I think he’s the type of person who will keep moving on. I suspect he won’t stay anywhere for longer than two or three years”.
“I was surprised to hear him say he couldn’t stand Manchester, he became world famous here, Manchester was the making of him”.
Neville’s comment about Tevez being a player who will always look to move on definitely bears fruit and makes total sense.This is a player who clearly does not care about anybody apart from himself, earning as much money as he can through transferring clubs every couple of years is his motivation. I am sure Tevez himself would disagree and say that his family are his main priority but he has already used them as an excuse to try and push through a transfer in the past.
So now the world waits to see the outcome of this disgraceful situation that he has instigated. City are in the unique position of not having to sell Tevez as it would not affect them financially. I hope City have the balls to make a real stance against a bad apple, hang him out to dry, let him rot in the reserves.
Releasing Tevez from his contract would simply give him what he wants, He would walk away from the Ethidad stadium with a smile as long as the digits in his bank account. It would give him the chance again to negotiate another big contract and signing on fee with another club, but it does make me wonder:
Who would actually want a player that has shamed the beautiful game?
We wait in anticipation to see is City stand up to Tevez and punish him like any normal person would be if they refused to do their job.
Kevin Ashford @KevinAshford7
