Mancini overruled chief executive in row over star man Tevez
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Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini overruled chief executive Garry Cook in row over star man Carlos Tevez
Clash of opinions: City boss Roberto Mancini (left) and chief cxecutive Garry Cook
EXCLUSIVE
Carlos Tevez retained the Manchester City captaincy only after Roberto Mancini won an astonishing clash of opinions with chief executive Garry Cook.
Sportsmail can reveal Tevez did not even sit down with Cook for the peace talks that took place at Mancini’s home on Sunday afternoon, instead meeting the Italian and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
Cook was being given much of the credit on Tuesday for brokering the peace deal with Tevez but, while he was at the house, he took no part in the key conversations concerning the issues the Argentina striker had raised in a personal letter to Khaldoon.
Cook only became involved over the subject of whether a player who had handed in a transfer request had the right to retain the captaincy.
Cook argued the honour should go to Kolo Toure because he felt allowing Tevez to continue would reflect badly on the club. But in a move that has gone a long way to healing the rift that developed between City’s manager and his star player, Mancini insisted on having the final say and chose to stand by Tevez, 26.
The Italian stressed his star player’s importance to City, concluding that it would be a mistake to use the captaincy as a form of discipline.
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Sources at City say Tevez was impressed by that, noting how Mancini had chosen to put any personal grievances aside. It is understood that Khaldoon supported the boss’s stance.
Club insiders insisted on Tuesday night that Cook ultimately backed Mancini as well. While there is still tension between the manager and the more disaffected members of City’s dressing room, a new alliance between Tevez and Mancini could be hugely significant for what remains of the season.
There is still no guarantee that Tevez will be at City beyond the end of this season — especially when the relationship with Cook is so fractured.
However, the fact that Mancini has got the striker back on side, for now anyway, amounts to something of a masterstroke.