Tevez back in Argentina (15 Jan 2006 16:57 GMT)
Carlos Tevez, who will miss the team's match against Portuguesa Santista on Sunday, made a surprise return to his home country just hours after Corinthians fell 1-0 to Noroeste on Wednesday.
Tevez told reporters after the match that he would not play against Portuguesa even if coach Antonio Lopes ordered him to. He had publicly said that he did not want to play in Corinthians' first couple of matches so he could properly recuperate his form in time for the World Cup in June.
Corinthians officially said Tevez traveled to Argentina to take care of personal problems, and that the trip had been scheduled for some time. But many players and some club directors were unaware of the trip, and were still trying to figure out why Tevez was allowed to leave in the middle of a competition.
"I didn't understand anything," Argentine defender Sebastian Dominguez told the sports daily Lance after finding out that Tevez had left.
Midfielder Marcelo Mattos said: "I only found out that he left when I saw he wasn't practicing. No one told us why, though."
Local media speculated that Tevez returned to Argentina so he could practice with members of Argentina's national squad. He reportedly wanted 10 days off, but only got four.
Lopes would not elaborate on why Tevez had to travel. "I don't have to explain anything," he said. "This is not a privilege ... I allowed him to go and that's it."
Tevez, who was expected to be back in Brazil on Monday, led Corinthians to its fourth Brazilian league title last year and was named the competition's best player.
source : FoxSports