Sergio Aguero admits he feels "sad" for fellow countryman Carlos Tevez after Manchester City slapped a two-week ban on the controversial striker.
With Tevez pledging to report for training, in line with a stated aim of "fulfilling the terms of his contract" as outlined in the statement he released on Wednesday, City chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak acted quickly, confirming the 27-year-old would not be at Carrington on Thursday morning.
"Manchester City can confirm that striker Carlos Tevez has been suspended until further notice for a maximum period of two weeks," said a short statement released by City.
"The player's suspension is pending a full review into his alleged conduct during Tuesday evening's 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.
"The player will not be considered for selection or take part in training whilst the review is under way."
Manager Roberto Mancini stated immediately after Tuesday's game that, as far as he was concerned, Tevez is "finished" at City.
He clearly had no wish to see Tevez quite so soon after the South American's apparent refusal to play.
It all adds to a sense of unease around City, which even Aguero is not too happy with despite his own recent impressive form.
"Roberto is in charge," he said, before news of Tevez's suspension became known.
"He puts through his opinions and ideas, and obviously makes his decisions. We just have to go with it.
"Carlos is a great player but obviously I am not inside his mind, to know his thoughts and opinions.
"It does make me sad. But they are two grown men and maybe they will sort it out."
That seems impossible, with City taking advantage of a planned day off for their first-team squad to give the whole furore some breathing space.
The gap was used to try to change Mancini's mind. Instead, the club are ensuring any action they take will not be the subject of appeals by Tevez, as prima-face as the evidence appears to be.
Most likely is a January sale, although that would leave Tevez hanging around for another three months, bringing with it huge potential for disruption.
However, given the vast Abu Dhabi wealth bankrolling the entire City operation, it cannot entirely be discounted that the man who skippered the Blues to their FA Cup triumph in May, the club's first silverware since 1976, will have his contract cancelled, or that he will be left to fester until the end of his deal in 2014.
Compromise is not on the agenda.
For all the finance lavished on a player who became a City hero the instant he opted to join the club for whom he now earns in excess of £200,000 a week and the emotional investment spent talking him into staying when his first transfer request was submitted in December, Tevez has wrecked his legacy.
"He (Mancini) has dealt with it in the way he thinks is right," said assistant manager David Platt. "I think he is right.
"The pictures are on the TV. What do you want him to do? Come out and lie? He has told it as it is. Full stop."
