Updated at 14.37
MANCHESTER CITY BANNED reporters from asking anything about the Carlos Tevez affair in Friday’s weekly press conference.
Meanwhile, the striker has refused to apologise for his actions according to BBC Sport, claiming he was “ready to play”.
He also believes the other players on the bench that night will back up his claims.
The 27-year-old was suspended over his apparent refusal to come off the substitute’s bench during the club’s 2-0 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich.
Shortly before Roberto Mancini appeared for usual briefing, City’s chief communications officer Victoria Kloss read out a statement, insisting that the briefing would be suspended if Mancini was asked about Tevez.
Kloss said: “Questions in relation to Carlos Tevez in general, in relation to his alleged conduct on Tuesday evening and the potential ramifications of that conduct and in relation to his future at the football club is strictly off limits and will not be answered.
“Breaches of this will result in the press conference being suspended. This decision has been made to protect the interests of all parties and safeguard the integrity of the investigation that is currently taking place.”
Subsequently, talking about it without talking about it, Mancini downplayed the whole situation.
When asked if it had been the toughest week of his managerial career, he responded, “no, no, absolutely no. Why is it difficult? Some situations can happen in football, in your job. It’s important that the past is finished.
“I don’t have any complications. Only one complication that we had two days ago is that we lost against Bayern Munich, only this. We started very well we can do a fantastic season, I don’t have this problem.
“It is normal that one player is not happy to leave the pitch in an important game or to stay on the bench, it’s a normal situation for every manager.”
In addition, Alex Ferguson has given his backing to Mancini over the affair, saying that “there is nobody more important than the manager at a football club”.
Additional reporting: Paul Fennessy
‘there is nobody more important than the manager at a football club’. Don’t we fuckin know it, Lord Purplenose