Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez
has today apologised for holding up a banner ridiculing Manchester
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, his former boss, during a celebratory open-top bus tour.
The Argentine forward was last night caught on TV brandishing the poster
emblazoned with the taunt: 'RIP Fergie' as he joined his team-mates on their victory lap of Manchester city centre.
The
28-year-old is thought to have been passed or thrown the placard by a
fan as the squad travelled the streets with the Premier League trophy.
A
Manchester City spokesman said: 'The creation of the tasteless material
is in itself reprehensible and in accepting and brandishing it, Carlos
has made a significant error of judgement.
'The
club wishes to express its sincerest apologies to Sir Alex Ferguson and
Manchester United Football Club for any offence or distress caused.'




Tevez, who spent two years at Old Trafford before leaving for City in 2009, said: 'I got carried away in the excitement of the moment and I certainly didn't mean any disrespect to Sir Alex Ferguson, who I admire as a man and a manager.'
His faux-pas was made in front of thousands of jubilant Manchester City fans who thronged the streets to hail the team that has landed the club's first top-flight English title for 44 years.
The sky blue open-top bus traveled through the city with members of the club's expensively assembled team hailing their supporters and parading the Premier League trophy.
It is City's third league title and sparked the euphoric celebrations among the club's long-suffering supporters who had witnessed crosstown rivals United became champions for a record 19th time last season.
Before the set off on the bus the team emerged on to a raised stage at the town hall to deafening applause and cheers from fans with fists punching the air and hundreds of sky blue flags fluttering in the wind.



Manager Roberto Mancini and team
captain Vincent Kompany appeared last on the town hall steps, carrying the Premiership trophy
and greeted with the biggest cheer of the night
Kompany told fans: 'I want to say thank you, you guys have been amazing.'
Mancini added: 'I think that you
should be proud of these players. They did everything for you. They
wanted to win this championship for you.'
Supporters
had queued from early afternoon to get a prime spot in Albert Square,
where players thanked the fans for their support. Many
of City's army of followers were not even born before their last league
title during the club's last glory days in the 1960s.
But
the team's once long-suffering fans were in party mood heralding a
'Blue Moon Rising' to mark the first of what could be many title honours
for the club, now backed by oil-rich Arabs.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart told fans: 'It was one of the most dramatic days of my life...and one of the best.'
Argentinian Sergio Aguero, who scored the historic winning goal, was asked if he had cried afterwards. With team mate Pablo Zabaleta translating, Aguero confessed: 'Un Poco' - a little - as cheers rang out.
Striker Carlos Tevez said:
'It was absolutely incredible. This club have got the players that can
win lots of trophies, this is a real big step towards that.'
Finally before the parade began, an
explosion of sky blue and white ticker-tape and streamers shot into the
sky as players linked arms and joined fans in a rousing rendition of
Queen's anthem, We are the Champions.
Yesterday watched by an estimated
160million viewers in 200 countries, City yesterday pipped their
neighbours Manchester United to the Premier League title in the most
amazing finish ever.
With
five minutes to go in City’s home match against Queens Park Rangers,
they had looked down and out. United had beaten Sunderland 1-0 to go
three points ahead of City, who were losing 2-1.
ust the beginning?: The Manchester City bus
sets off on a parade with the club's first Premier League trophy as
their fans clamour for a view of the country's best team

But then City equalised and, with
virtually the last kick of the game, their Argentinian striker Sergio
Aguero made it 3-2 meaning his team were champions for the first time in
44 years, thanks to their superior goal difference.
There
was pandemonium on the pitch, and in pubs and clubs around the country
showing the match live. Meanwhile in Sunderland, the tearful expressions
of United fans told the story of a triumph snatched from them at the
very last.
Lauren Lloyd, 25, from Stockport,
said: 'Yesterday was absolute agony then ecstasy. I still haven't come
down. Eastlands was banging after the final whistle.'
Nat
Holmes, 22, from Manchester, added: 'Look at the City fans here
tonight. The reds have got blase about all this, but we're proper
Mancunian fans. This means everything to us after watching that lot from
Trafford win things year after year.'

Tens of thousands of Manchester City
fans line the streets of Manchester during a victory parade by their
team on an open top bus after the football club won the Premier League
title

Lining the streets: Manchester City clinched the
championship, their first since 1968, with a dramatic win over Queens
Park Rangers yesterday pipping local rivals Manchester United to title
and delighting their fans who thronged the streets
It was a sporting climax which
surpassed Michael Thomas’s last-minute strike for Arsenal in 1989 which
won them the League title from Liverpool; Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s
Champions League-winning goal for United in 1999; and even Jonny
Wilkinson’s Rugby World Cup-winning drop goal in 2003.
Within
minutes of City’s victory, football fans and celebrities were posting
on Twitter, describing it as the most exhilarating end to a football
season ever.
Former England striker Gary Lineker said: ‘Never, ever,
ever seen anything like that in my life! Congratulations to Manchester
City, Premier League Champions! The most ridiculous end to the most
extraordinary of seasons.’
Top
Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson said: ‘I’m sorry. Formula One has a lot
to learn from the Premiership. That Man City game was astonishing.’
QPR’s
Joey Barton, who was sent off for elbowing Manchester City’s Carlos
Tevez and kicked Aguero before being dragged from the field, also took
to Twitter to say: ‘Can do nothing but apologise to the players and the
fans.’
But the notorious troublemaker added: ‘Still don’t think it’s a sending off.’
Chanzo: Gazeti la Daily Mail
Chanzo: Gazeti la Daily Mail

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