By ROB HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
Associated Press Sports
updated 4:50 p.m. ET Oct. 27, 2011
LONDON (AP) -England's footballers' union is backing Carlos Tevez in his dispute with Manchester City, saying Thursday that the striker is being vilified by the club and his fine was too severe.
City fined Tevez four weeks' wages, which equates to around 800,000 pounds ($1.3 million), after finding him guilty of misconduct over a touchline dispute during the 2-0 loss at Bayern Munich last month.
City had asked the Professional Footballers Association to ratify the fine, but its chief executive Gordon Taylor backed the Argentina international after attending his disciplinary hearing.
"The charge was momentarily refusing to resume warming up - he never refused to play, he was desperate to play," Taylor said Thursday. "They are trying to portray he refused to play, which is serious and why he was vilified. No evidence that they presented suggested that.
"If the evidence was strong and irrefutable, that's gross misconduct, as serious as it gets and could be a termination of contract. That's not the case."
Tevez was suspended for two weeks by City after the row in Germany, but despite manager Roberto Mancini initially declaring that the Argentina international would never play for the club again, he received no further ban from the club's disciplinary panel.
Tevez's legal team is exploring whether anything initially said publicly by City could be construed as defamation of character as he maintains that he did not refuse to play.
Now Taylor could give evidence to back Tevez at an appeal. He would also have the right to a second appeal to the Premier League.
But among five contract breaches outlined by City, Tevez was said to have not met "an obligation to participate in any matches in which the player is selected to play for the club when directed by a club official".
The 2009 recruit from Manchester United was City's top scorer during its run to the FA Cup title last year that ended a 35-year trophy drought.
But has been largely out of favor since a failed attempt to secure a transfer in the offseason back to Brazilian club Corinthians, which he left in 2006 to join West Ham.
City maintains that Tevez will only be sold in the January transfer window if a club meets its asking price of around 40 million pounds ($80 million) for a player with almost three years remaining on his contract.
? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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