PFA backs Tevez in his battle over City fine

The Professional Footballers Association have backed Carlos Tevez in his increasingly-bitter battle with Manchester City.

The players’ union yesterday issued a statement supporting the Argentinian’s insistence that he did not refuse to play in the Champions League loss at Bayern Munich last month.

City this week fined Tevez four weeks' wages – believed to be around £800,000–- for misconduct after finding him guilty of five breaches of contract.

After an exhaustive investigation and a disciplinary hearing last Friday, City’s judgement concluded that the 27-year-old had effectively refused to play when asked to come on as a substitute at the Allianz Arena.

Yet Tevez always contended that he merely refused to warm up and blamed a misunderstanding for the whole fiasco.

It was understood that the charge facing Tevez at his hearing last week did refer to a failure to resume warming up rather than an outright refusal to play.

City’s final statement, however, made clear the club’s disciplinary panel deemed him guilty of failing to “participate in any matches” for which he had been selected. City added that they were writing to the PFA for ratification of the fine but that does not appear to have been forthcoming.

The PFA’s statement read: “Gordon Taylor [chief executive] attended the hearing with Carlos Tevez on 21 October and was privy to all the evidence presented to the hearing and Carlos’ response.

“The PFA’s opinion, based on all the evidence presented, is that Carlos Tevez never refused to play for the club.

“This is accepted by the club in that the charge against Carlos made at the hearing was not one of refusing to play. As such the PFA considers that there is no justification for a fine other than up to the prescribed sanction of two weeks’ wages agreed by the FA, the Premier League and PFA.

“The PFA has informed the Manchester City Football Club accordingly and Carlos will continue to be supported by the PFA in this regard.”

The PFA’s statement appears to vindicate much of what Tevez has argued and supports his belief that City’s judgment bears no resemblance to reasons he was given for being guilty of misconduct.