Carlos Tevez Takes a Personal Day

Striker Carlos Tevez has officially been suspended from Manchester City.

On Tuesday night, in a game against Bayern Munich, manager Roberto Mancini told Tevez to go in the game during the second half, but Tevez didn’t budge from the bench. City lost 2-0.

Shortly after the game, Tevez explained his behavior by saying, “I didn’t feel right to play, so I didn’t.”

Since then, Tevez released a longer statement apologizing to fans and claiming his omission from the game was just a “misunderstanding” and that he “never refused to play.”

As if the additional security for Manchester City at the airport wasn’t an indicator, Mancini publicly declared Tevez “finished” at City, and the player was officially suspended on Wednesday while the club investigates his refusal to play. Mancini will discuss the striker’s future with Man City’s owners from the Abu Dhabi United Group, but has clearly stated if it were up to him, Tevez would go.

The leading scorer for City the last two seasons, and captain for the squad that won the FA Cup in May, Tevez has requested to be traded twice since joining the team in 2009.

The 27-year-old has been at five different clubs in just seven years, which has caused a lot of heartbreak for fans who get a taste of this talent only to see him leave for greener pastures and bigger paychecks. A forced departure, however, may be welcomed by Manchester City fans. At least he’ll have more time to work on his golf game.