[Zabaleta] was thrust into the diplomat role that infamous night at Bayern Munich in September 2011, sitting next to Carlos Tevez on the bench at 2-0 down when Tevez refused to warm up and Mancini, enraged after the game, said Tevez would never play for City again, sparking a long, poisonous stand-off. Zabaleta has known Tevez since they were youth international team-mates and is glad to be with him and their fellow Argentinian, Sergio Agüero, drinking the harsh-tasting mate tea of home, in the damp chill of Manchester. So it was awkward that he was a key witness in the club's inquiry into Tevez's conduct.
In Zabaleta's account there is clear sympathy for Tevez, a belief that Mancini aggravated the conflict by speaking out publicly straight after a hard defeat. Zabaleta's crucial evidence was that Tevez had indeed refused to warm up, saying he was already warmed up, but had not explicitly refused to go on the field. "When you lose a game everybody is upset," Zabaleta explains. "It is difficult for the manager because his team isn't playing well and sometimes after the game is not the right time to say something. It's better sometimes to calm down and talk about what happened. From something very small it grew so big." Of the club inquiry he recalls: "I just told the truth. I was next to Carlos and I gave my answer to the club, the truth."
Now, Tevez having taken his fines and suspensions, then finally returned to win the title and this season to carry himself as a beacon of good behaviour, Zabaleta can confidently praise his friend: "The positive thing is that Carlos came back again and the commitment for the club and team has been 100%. So that is well done by him."
