Gather ‘round kids and bring the popcorn! The Great Carlos Tevez Transfer Drama is back up again! You thought LeBron or Fabregas were bad? Giiiiiiiiiiiirrrrrrrrrrrrlllllllll. You haven’t heard jack.
So let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Once upon a time, there was a young Argentine named Carlos Tevez. Though he wasn’t not exactly a Disney-esque dashing prince, soccer fans loved him for his scrappy, hyperactive playing style and of course his goal-scoring ability.
He started out at the legendary Argentine club Boca Juniors when he was 16. In 2005, he transferred to Corinthians for 15 million euro, which at the time was the largest deal in South American soccer. That season, he was team captain and was named the league’s best player. However, he confirmed that he was refusing to play for the team in 2006.
Tevez moved to his first Premier League team, West Ham, in 2006. It was a turbulent season. His signing was subject to some controversy related to signing rules and ownership rights and the club had to pay a huge settlement fee. Furthermore, the team barely escaped regulation. Nevertheless, despite all this, Tevez in 2007 claimed he wanted to remain in England. However, he was soon reported to have agreed to join Manchester United, which pissed the living hell out of West Ham management.
To stop the everlasting transfer triangle saga, West Ham agreed to loan Tevez to United for two years. Tevez was a hit with the team, impressing coach Sir Alex Ferguson so much that he and Manchester United management wanted to offer Tevez a permanent contract. However, Tevez claimed that he was unhappy at United and would likely leave soon. During negotiations in 2009, United offered him a long-term, high-paying deal, which Tevez rejected.
You see a pattern here, yes?
Of all places, Tevez went to United’s rivals Manchester City. For those unfamiliar with the rivalry, think of it as a star Yankees player turning down a multi-million deal and playing for the Mets.
At first, things were all unicorn giggles and panda hugs. Man City welcomed Tevez with a huge billboard (see left), which was in part a huge two-fingered salute (or middle finger, if American) to his former team. His first season went splendidly, as he was named the club’s player of the year and was given the captaincy. Man City began negotiations with Tevez in late 2010 for a contract extension.
Of course, being Tevez, he submitted a transfer request for the January transfer window, claiming that he missed his family and wanted to go back to Argentina to be with them. Man City management were outraged. They turned down the request and threatened to seek damages for breach of contract. After presumably some intercession by coach Roberto Mancini, Tevez withdrew his transfer request, declaring loyalty to the club.
His loyalty didn’t last long. During the summer of 2011, he publicly complained that he hated the city of Manchester; it was “cold and wet” and not worth even visiting on vacation. Despite best efforts, including a transfer deal with his old club Corinthians which fell through at the last minute, Tevez very, very awkwardly returned to Manchester City this season.
This season seemed to be going well. Man City went on a winning rampage and signed several high profile players. Tevez’ wife moved to Manchester. Despite having been stripped of the captaincy, Tevez announced that he changed his mind about moving and was very happy at the club. Maybe a bit of grumbling about playing time, but which pro athlete has not complained about that?
Nevertheless, during Tuesday’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich, Tevez allegedly refused to play after coach Mancini called him up as a substitute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjJ4rRTO8xQ
Although Tevez claims that it was all a misunderstanding, Mancini furiously declared that Tevez was “finished” at Manchester City and Man City players and fans appear to all support the coach. The player has been fined 500,000 British pounds and is currently suspended for the maximum two weeks pending an investigation into the incident.
There is speculation that Tevez may be released from his contract should his actions during the Bayern match be found to have constituted gross misconduct. However, that determination will take a while and may become a long legal battle. According to the Guardian, the most likely scenario is that Tevez will be sold during the January transfer window.
But who knows? We just have to wait and see.
