Tevez missing for Argentina World Cup qualifiers

28 October 2011 11:47

Carlos Tevez, embroiled in a bitter row with his club Manchester City, is not included in the Argentina squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Colombia.

However, coach Alejandro Sabella has called up two of Tevez's teammates in defender Pablo Zabaleta and striker Sergio Aguero, with the latter among the scorers in the 6-1 rout of Manchester rivals United last Sunday.

Also figuring in the 21-man squad are Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Javier Pastore, the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder.

Tevez was fined two weeks wages on Thursday after being found guilty of refusing to come on as a substitute in City's 2-0 Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich last month.

City manager Roberto Mancini has exiled Tevez since the furore, with the striker being made to train with the Premier League leader's youth team.

Argentina began their campaign to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with a 4-1 win over Chile but then followed that with a 1-0 shock defeat to Venezuela.

They face Bolivia at home on November 11 in Buenos Aires before travelling to face Colombia in Barranquilla four days later.

Argentina squad

Goalkeepers: Sergio Romero (Sampdoria/ITA), Mariano Andujar (Catania/ITA)

Defenders: Martin Demichelis (Malaga/ESP), Nicolas Burdisso (Roma/ITA), Federico Fernandez (Napoli/ITA), Fabian Monzon (Nice/FRA), Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City/ENG), Marcos Rojo (Spartak Moscow/RUS)

Midfielders: Javier Mascherano (Barcelona/ESP), Ever Banega (Valencia/ESP), Fernando Gago (Roma/ITA), Javier Pastore (PSG/FRA), Nicolas Gaitan (Benfica/POR), Jose Sosa (Metalist Kharkiv/UKR), Pablo Guinazu (Internacional/BRA)

Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona/ESP), Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid/ESP), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid/ESP), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli/ITA), German Denis (Atalanta/ITA), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City/ENG)

Source: AFP