Soccer: Carlos Tevez is due to meet with Manchester City officials as the club investigate his alleged refusal to play against Bayern Munich last week, club representatives have confirmed.
The Argentina striker has been suspended for two weeks by City after manager Roberto Mancini claimed he would not come on as a substitute in the Champions League loss at the Allianz Arena.
Mancini said the 27-year-old was finished at City after the game on Tuesday but Tevez will be given the chance to formally state his version of events.
The club are keeping the location and time of the meeting secret but it is expected to take place early this week.
City are determined to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure their position is legally watertight.
Tevez initially said “I didn’t feel I was right to play, so I didn’t” but later blamed the situation on a “misunderstanding”.
Tevez said he thought he was being asked to warm up by Mancini but did not because he had already done so.
It has been claimed City could cancel Tevez’s contract if he is found guilty but his high market value would make that costly.
Tevez was City’s talisman as they won the FA Cup last season but his relationship with the club had soured long before last week’s controversy.
He first submitted a transfer request last December and then failed in high-profile attempts to engineer a move away from the club in the summer.
After meeting club officials, Tevez will not be expected back at City until his suspension ends on October 12th and could therefore return to Argentina should he wish.