Tevez throws tantrum so Hammers give him new room with a view

In a real state: Tevez was furious despite being given a penthouse
14 April 2012

Carlos Tevez has had his first major row with West Ham after complaining about the penthouse apartment provided for him in Canary Wharf.

Tevez, who was below-par after making his full debut against Palermo in the UEFA Cup defeat on Thursday, was furious with officials over the size of the apartment offered to him in London's Docklands.

West Ham own properties in Canary Wharf and often offer new recruits the use of the flats free of charge until they find permanent accommodation.

Tevez and his Argentina team-mate, Javier Mascherano, stayed at the Marriott in West India Quay after they signed but the Hammers then moved them to Canary Wharf.

Although it was only a temporary measure, the two-bed-roomed flat enraged Tevez and he has since had to be moved to a bigger apartment with a view of the River Thames.

The Argentine has nine members of his family staying with him and he believes the Hammers should treat them with superstar status.

Tevez is well-known for being volatile and he went on strike at his former club Corinthians when he returned from the World Cup.

It has also emerged that Corinthians and Brazil midfielder Carlos Alberto Gomez, 21, is on the wish list of Kia Joorabchian who brought in Tevez and Mascherano.

Gomez's registration is held by Joorabchian and although he cannot move until the January transfer window, manager Alan Pardew will be asked to take the midfielder on trial with a view to signing him.

It is a sign of Joorabchian's increasing influence and the businessman has told friends he still intends to buy the Hammers in a deal worth £70million.

A diplomatic row has also erupted after T-shirts sold at the Palermo match had 'Mafia' printed on them. The shirts were selling for £10 and fans were snapping them up.

But the club, Sicilian officials and diplomats have reacted angrily.

The souvenirs recreated the cover of the The Godfather and showed a hand holding puppet strings above the words 'The Hammers'.

Sicily's regional president Salvatore Cuffaro said: "Not only has it offended us but it has tarnished the image of West Ham fans. Sicilians are sick and tired of always being associated with the Mafia."

Ironically, Cuffaro is under investigation for Mafia-related crimes.

Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder is determined to stick to the 'Am I bovvered?' catch-line of Catherine Tate's schoolgirl character Lauren when he makes his first return to Upton Park as a manager.

Roeder, who was sacked in August 2003, had been in charge there for two years during which time he was was struck down by illness and the team were also relegated after notching just 42 points.

He is unsure of the reception he will receive but he claims such matters no longer concern him.

It was the near-death experience Roeder suffered while in charge that has changed his attitude.

"Life can be short," he said. "We all hang by a thread, everyone, so I'm a great believer that you take care of tomorrow but don't forget to live today and I feel that even more now. Small things don't bother me and may be you need that life experience to see things how I do. I feel quite lucky I had the health scare to re-shape how I saw life.

"As I found out right at the end at West Ham, life, potentially, can be very short. There will be a group of fans that give me a reception that might not be nice but I've too many other things to concentrate on."

Roeder can reel off the statistics surrounding West Ham's failure that fateful season. Down with 42 points, his two main strikers out for six months and serious illness.

He said: "I felt I hit the post in football parlance but I don't feel I have anything to prove. The buck stops with me, we were relegated and I ended up losing my job. I got knocked to the floor, stood up and walked on and I have an opportunity to take my team there, which I'm really looking forward to.

"I'm delighted West Ham have re-established themselves in the Premiership. Alan Pardew has done a terrific job and we all get on with our lives."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in