CARLOS TEVEZ is considering whether to appeal to the Premier League against Manchester City’s disciplinary action that has so far cost him €11 million in salary, bonuses and fines. This began after he refused to warm up during a Champions League group game at Bayern Munich in September, and continued after he flew to and stayed in Argentina without the club’s permission.
Tevez has until Monday to lodge an appeal with the Premier League and the Argentinian and his advisers are examining how best to proceed. If they decide to appeal, the league can either rule that the forward’s fines should be reduced or uphold City’s action. The governing body cannot increase the amounts.
The league leaders stopped paying Tevez’s salary at the end of November and fined him six weeks’ wages, amounting to €1.7 million, during a disciplinary hearing held on December 21st. Tevez launched an appeal but the hearing on January 11th upheld the decision. Tevez has lost €7 million in loyalty bonuses, two weeks’ wages for the initial offence and €2 million due to his salary being frozen. The Tevez camp is relaxed regarding his future despite the comments of Khaldoon al-Mubarak, the City chairman, who claimed on Tuesday that Milan had “developed a misplaced sense of confidence” about their ability to strike a deal for him.
Mubarak suggested if City’s required terms for the 27-year-old were not met his career could continue to be stalled, until the summer at least. Tevez, he said, “remains a player with contractual obligations to Manchester City for the next two and a half seasons and, unless we receive an offer that we deem appropriate, the terms of his contract will be enforced”.
Mark Hughes hopes to sign a striker and a centre half by the close of the transfer window, with the Fulham forwards Bobby Zamora and Andrew Johnson still potential targets for the Queens Park Rangers manager despite his acrimonious departure from Craven Cottage last summer.
Hughes worked with Johnson and Zamora (31) for a season before he left and the Welshman will be conscious that the latter has a difficult relationship with Martin Jol, the Fulham manager. When asked this month if he wished to sell either Johnson or Zamora, Jol said: “No, otherwise I will have to play up front. I need my strikers. I would love them both to stay here.”
Jol insists there is no rift with Zamora and the player has not requested a transfer and the manager is also adamant he does not want to sell Johnson. But if QPR make a sizeable offer for either player, Fulham may be forced to listen.
QPR and Chelsea have released a joint statement asking for calm around their FA Cup fourth-round tie on Saturday at Loftus Road. The clubs warn anyone using “discriminatory or inflammatory language” will have action taken against them. Anton Ferdinand is due to face John Terry for the first time since the latter allegedly made racially abusive comments to him during the sides’ Premier League fixture in October.
