CARLOS TEVEZ and Gary Neville, the two central figures in the acrimony that has surrounded this season’s Manchester derbies, will be under police orders not to do anything that could incite crowd trouble when City and United renew hostilities tomorrow.
Greater Manchester police, planning one of the biggest football operations of the season, are to speak to both clubs to emphasise the importance of the two sets of players behaving responsibly rather than fuelling tensions.
The police are anxious about the way the players celebrate goals, and it will be made clear to the two clubs this should not involve deliberately goading opposition supporters.
When United beat City at Old Trafford with an injury-time goal in September the United captain Neville, an unused substitute, ran along the touchline to celebrate provocatively in front of the away end. The FA wrote to Neville to warn him about his future conduct but the former England player was involved in more controversy in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final in January, when he flashed his middle finger at Tevez after his former team-mate had scored from the penalty spot.
Tevez had gestured towards Neville after running to celebrate in front of Alex Ferguson’s dugout and, still nursing a grievance from the way he perceives he was treated at Old Trafford, cupping his ears towards United’s officials in the directors’ box. The striker subsequently called Neville a “boot-licker” and a “moron” on Argentinian radio, an outburst that led the police to contact his club because of their concerns he was fuelling the potential for trouble.
Eighteen people were arrested before, during and after that encounter at Eastlands and police confiscated darts and golf balls from United’s fans. Other objects were thrown on to the pitch by both sets of supporters, including a cigarette lighter that struck the United left back Patrice Evra.
Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini, the City manager, has been warned and fined €23,000, suspended until the end of the 2011-12 season, after admitting misconduct following his touchline clash with David Moyes during his side’s home defeat to Everton last month.
Wayne Rooney was installed as the clear favourite to be named as the Professional Footballers’ Association’s player of the year after the players’ union revealed its four-man short list yesterday. Although Rooney faces competition from Tevez, Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas, he is being heavily backed to become the fourth United player to collect the prize in as many seasons.
The 24-year-old England forward – who would follow last year’s winner, Ryan Giggs, and Cristiano Ronaldo (2007 and 2008) – is in the best form of his career, having scored 34 goals for United this season. He now ranks as a genuine world-class talent.
Rooney may even win a PFA double as, like Fabregas, he has also been nominated for the union’s young player of the year award. In this sphere, though, Rooney faces competition from the Aston Villa midfielder James Milner and Joe Hart, the goalkeeper who is on loan at Birmingham from Manchester City.
Fabregas’s chances in both categories could be diminished by the number of games he has missed through injury during this season. Nonetheless, the Spain midfielder has done much to sustain Arsenal’s title challenge.
Drogba, who has scored 32 goals in all competitions and 25 in the Premier League, has been one of the principal reasons why Chelsea are regarded as champions-elect. They remain on course for a league and FA Cup double.
Tevez is in peak form at City, where the former United’s forward’s goals – 28 this season – are promising to propel Mancini’s side into the Premier League top four.
Fernando Torres is on course to return to Atletico Madrid in a Liverpool shirt next week after a specialist issued a positive bulletin on the Spanish forward’s injured knee. Torres missed Liverpool’s goalless draw with Fulham on Sunday, instead travelling to Barcelona for treatment from Dr Ramon Cugat. He said: “The problem is not serious but he needs to rest to avoid more risk because it’s the same knee on which he had surgery in January. In normal circumstances he could be ready to play next week, depending on how it settles down.”
Guardian Service
