Manchester City give forward Carlos Tevez more time away

Carlos Tevez needed much time off as the Manchester City forward in advance had the birth of his baby daughter.

Tevez, whose 26, missed the city’s last 3 matches after being allowed sympathetic holiday to go to Argentina where his daughter, Katie, rigorous care.

Tevez has spoken to the club representatives but they do not know where he will return.

Roberto Mancini’s men in blue faces Stoke city in the FA Cup on Wednesday and play the Premier League Heads Chelsea on Saturday.

Manchester City manager Mancini expecting to have Tevez available for those matches but has not spoken to the Argentine, who  scored 19 goals since joining  the team from local opponents Manchester United last summer, since Wednesday.

“I don’t know where Tevez is,” said Mancini after Sunday’s 0-0 draw match with Liverpool as they were dropped to the sixth place in the Premier League table. “I think he is in Argentina. Added Mancini

“It’s a big problem for us because we have an important week and we don’t have Tevez. For me it is no good. Carlos has been eight days at home and I don’t know if, while in Argentina, he has been working [on his fitness].

“I hope Carlos, within the next two days, can come back here because we need him. Maybe he is on the plane. He had some problems with his family but now it has been resolved and I hope he comes back. I need him.” Said the city manager

Tevez’s consultant Kia Joorabchian said the player was aiming to return in time for City’s trip to Stamford Bridge.

Kia Joorabchian Tevez’s consultant said that he was aiming to come back to Manchester city.

He also persisted that the former West Ham striker’s fitness was good and that Carlos had been in regular contact with the club.

“He hopes to be back for the Chelsea game,” said Joorabchian. “He hopes things will get better, for his daughter’s sake and because he wants to get back and play. He loves to play.

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PORTSMOUTH’S TRANSFER PLEA REJECTED

The Premier League has rejected struggling Portsmouth’s request for permission to sell players outside the transfer window.

Fifa, which sets transfer rules, had indicated it would look favourably on Pompey, who have debts of about £60m.

But the Premier League board feels it should not favour Portsmouth over other clubs who are battling relegation.

Pompey are due in court on 1 March to contest a winding-up order which could see them go into administration.

Should that happen, the club which is rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, will automatically lose nine points and almost certainly be relegated.

But if their transfer request had been granted, helping them stave off administration, it would have aided their bid to stay in the Premier League, which was likely to infuriate their fellow strugglers.

Fifa confirmed on Thursday that it had received correspondence from the Football Association relating to Portsmouth’s financial situation.

Pompey face the threat of administration or liquidation and BBC sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar believes world football’s governing body would have supported their plea.

 “The argument put to Fifa would say it’s the integrity of the competition at stake here – if Portsmouth go under all their points would be cancelled and the league table would be falsely affected,” said Farquhar.

“For the integrity of the sporting competition, it’s better if the club can be kept afloat, at least to play out their fixtures until the end of the season.”

In line with the rest of Europe, there are two transfer windows a year in England, running from 1 January to 31 January and from 1 June to 31 August.

Portsmouth sold three players in that window but their financial position has since worsened and they are desperate to raise extra capital by offloading more players.

Burnley manager Brian Laws claimed it would be “ridiculous” to allow Pompey to sell players outside the transfer window.

The Clarets are one off the bottom of the table, seven points better off than Pompey, and Laws said: “Whilst we have every sympathy with a football club that has difficulties, the only ones they should be looking at are themselves.

And they face another winding up petition from HMRC over an unpaid £11.7m tax bill on 1 March.

Hong Kong-based businessman Balram Chainrai became the club’s fourth owner of the season in early February when he secured 90% of the club’s shares after previous owner Ali Al Faraj defaulted on loan payments due to Chainrai.

Portsmouth are eight points from safety in the top flight and their players have been paid late on four occasions this season.

The club are also involved in a separate dispute with former owner Sacha Gaydamak over whether they have missed a deadline in paying a £9m chunk of the £28m they owe to him.

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