CARLOS TEVEZ’S agent insists the Manchester City star did NOT go on strike —
and that he is a victim of mistranslation.
But an independent interpreter last night challenged that claim, leaving the
soccer world asking: Who is telling the truth?
Tevez triggered a storm last Tuesday when he failed to come on as a sub as
City trailed Bayern Munich 2-0 in their clash.
Spanish-speaking Tevez conducted a TV interview immediately after the game and
seemed to confirm he had refused to play — explaining his actions via an
interpreter.
But the player’s representative, Kia Joorabchian, yesterday claimed Tevez was
mistranslated during the live interview and that he never admitted to going
on strike.
However, Joorabchian’s claim does not tally with a fresh translation carried
out yesterday of the TV interview.
According to that, Tevez actually said: “It’s just that I didn’t want to go on
because I thought I was unwell. I wasn’t emotionally well and I thought it
better not to.
“I felt that it wasn’t suitable that I go on because my head wasn’t in the
right place.”
Tevez’s TV translator was City interpreter Pedro Marques, an ‘Opposition
Analyst’ who does not normally do translating duties but was grabbed by the
player to help out.
Joorabchian said: “If you don’t have a very professional interpreter you have
a problem. The interview was incorrect.
“Both questions and answers from Carlos were interpreted incorrectly.”
Joorabchian went on to criticise the way City boss Roberto Mancini had handled
his player compared to the managerial styles of Arsene Wenger and Harry
Redknapp.
Joorabchian suggested Tevez has done no worse than former Arsenal players Cesc
Fabregas and Sami Nasri or Tottenham ace Luka Modric.
Joorabchian said: “Roberto has his style of management. He is totally
different to, say, Arsene Wenger.
“We have seen this happen all through the summer. We have seen Fabregas,
Modric, Nasri handing in transfer requests, refusing to travel, refusing to
play. I think that is a problem in football in general.
“But the clubs and managers handled it in a very different way.
“Carlos’ situation has been handled in a different manner. He feels he has
been judged and condemned before the case has really been looked into.”
After the game in Munich, Mancini insisted Tevez had refused to play and said
the Argentinian was finished at the club.
Since his interview, Tevez, who has been suspended by the club for two weeks,
has claimed he was never actually asked to go on the pitch.