Tevez: Mancini treated me like a dog! Exile is on his way back to City (but that's no apology!)

Carlos Tevez will land back in England to face a fresh storm on Tuesday after he accused Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini of treating him ‘like a dog’.

In an astonishing outburst on the eve of his return from three months in self-imposed exile, Tevez reignited his row with Mancini over the infamous fall-out in Munich and blamed City for forcing him to seek refuge with his family back home in Argentina.

He also admitted that the two men almost came to blows last season.

Reflecting on his spat with Mancini when he refused to warm up during the Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich in September, Tevez said: ‘I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t playing. Mancini had taken the captain’s armband away from me without telling me why or even speaking to me about it, so a lot of things had happened and I was in a bad mood.

‘I had already warmed up in the first half but he told me to keep on warming up. He treated me like a dog. When he spoke to me in that tone of voice, I said, “No I’m not going out”. I was willing to play but the coach was in such a foul mood because he’s had an argument with Dzeko that he started on me as well, and began swearing. He said some horrible things to me.’ 

Tevez was fined four weeks’ wages - later reduced to two - following a club investigation into the incident, but he blames City’s support of Mancini and the reaction of fans for his decision to flee to Argentina. He added: ‘The club statement protected the manager. That’s why I was angry and didn’t want to return. I was affected because of this situation and I wanted to find shelter with my family.

‘To be insulted by fans after what happened in Munich was something I didn’t deserve. They were misinformed, so when they were told that I didn’t want to play they  naturally turned against me.

‘I gave everything to that club and when I saw them burning my shirt with my name on it or hurling insults it really hurt.’

There were hopes that Tevez, who has lost £9.3million in fines and wages since last playing for City five months ago, would be given a second chance as he prepared to board a flight on Monday from Buenos Aires, where he has been AWOL since November. 

But the timing of his interview with Fox Sports Latin America could not have been worse and now places serious doubt over whether the 27-year-old can ever play for the club again.

Tevez opened up on his tempestuous relationship with Mancini, claiming that the City boss would not have been as tough last season before fellow Argentine Sergio Aguero had joined the club.

‘Mancini’s position got stronger when Kun Aguero arrived,’ said Tevez. ‘I don’t know if he would have done the things he did if this was last season. 

‘Last season we almost hit each other in the dressing-room after a game against Newcastle, but he’s got a better team this season and felt like making the decision.

‘I like that Mancini has said that he will welcome me back but he also said I was never going to play for him again, so I don’t know.’

Tevez’s condition will be assessed once he reports back to Carrington and he will be given a training programme to get him back to full fitness. Whether he makes the apology Mancini has demanded is another matter, however.

He added: ‘I’ve been training on my own and I know I can be back on the pitch in two weeks. There’s no need for City to make me have two training  sessions a day – I’ll do it myself. I have decided to go back for personal reasons to see if I can turn this situation around, start scoring goals again and play for the shirt. It’s also a decision I’ve taken to try to win back the supporters. ‘I know this is going to be difficult but I will accept this challenge. I know I have to play better than I ever did. I have discovered the love for the game again.’ Tevez did not help his cause by naming Sir Alex Ferguson as one of the two best coaches he has ever worked with, and praising his former Manchester United team-mates Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney.

The player’s advisor Kia Joorabchian attempted to limit the damage on Monday night, saying: ‘What Carlos is explaining in his interview is how he felt back then. The club and Carlos have been talking about things in a positive way, and he has said that he is ready to apologise if he has done something wrong.

‘He is in a totally different mode now. He wants to come back and thinks City have been very good to him in the last couple of months. 

‘His main objective is to come back and help City win the title.’

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2100643/Carlos-Tevez-Roberto-Mancini-treated-like-dog.html#ixzz1mKQWeyMj