On This Day in 2011: Roberto Mancini and Carlos Tevez in substitution row
Tevez denied Mancini’s accusation but did not play for the club again for six months.
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Your support makes all the difference.A rift between then Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini and Carlos Tevez began on September 27, 2011 after the Italian claimed the striker refused to take to the pitch as a substitute.
The incident occurred during a Champions League game between City and Bayern Munich in Germany.
Nigel De Jong had already replaced striker Edin Dzeko in a surprise substitution, after which Tevez was told by Mancini he would also be thrown into the fray as City chased a two-goal deficit.
However, Mancini told Sky Sports: “He refused to come on. One player refused to go on – I can’t accept this.”
Tevez, who had handed in a transfer request the previous season, had reportedly been unhappy at being left on the bench in the league game the weekend before.
Mancini indicated he wanted the Argentinian out of the club, saying: “I helped Carlos for two years but I cannot accept this behaviour.”
I wish to state that I never refused to play
The following day, Tevez issued a statement denying he had refused to come on, saying: “I would like to apologise to all Manchester City fans, with whom I have always had a strong relationship, for any misunderstanding that occurred in Munich.
“I had warmed up and was ready to play. This is not the right time to get into specific details as to why this did not happen. But I wish to state that I never refused to play.”
Tevez was suspended for two weeks by the club and then put on gardening leave before eventually being handed a hefty fine.
He did not return to the City fold until February 2012 and finally made another appearance on March 21, six months after the Munich spat. He stayed at City until the summer of 2013, when he joined Juventus.