Tevez community order rescinded

Tevez community order rescinded

Published Jul. 10, 2013 3:16 p.m. ET

Charlton remain keen to keep Cedric Evina and insist they have not withdrawn a contract offer to the left-back.

Evina, whose contract at The Valley expired on July 1, featured in Saturday's opening pre-season friendly against non-League Welling but failed to report to the airport on Sunday for the club's week-long training camp in Spain.

Contract talks between the two parties have currently broken down but, despite reports suggesting Charlton's offer no longer stands, manager Chris Powell still wants to strike an agreement.

Powell told the Addicks' official website: "It's an issue that has been ongoing for a long time and should have been something that was resolved as soon as the season ended.

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"We got very close last week and right at the last minute they changed it again. Ceddy is well within his rights to turn it down and his Dubai-based agent has advised him not to sign."

He added: "There has been a lot of toing and froing but Ceddy has come back this summer and trained really well. His testing has been good and he played at Welling.

"I've told him how much I want him to stay. He's had two years here and he's a young man who has got the ingredients to be a good left-back. He's starting to show that. He hasn't really had a career yet and I want him to have that here.

"I work with him every day, along with my coaching staff and my players, and he's a character that fits in really well with us."

The striker still had to complete the majority of his 250 hours' of unpaid work, imposed as punishment for a string of driving offences earlier this year.

However, the terms have now changed, meaning Tevez will pay a fine instead of fulfilling the order, allowing him to continue his career with Juve.

District Judge Bridget Knight accepted there were circumstances beyond Tevez's control in his inability to fulfil the terms of his order, saying: "This is only a technical breach. It is not, I repeat not, a case of a footballer thumbing his nose at a court order."

It is thought Tevez's legal team argued that as the South American was sold by Manchester City, he was not responsible in law for his inability to comply with the order.

Tevez said: "I would like to thank the court for its understanding. I appreciate their help and assistance in this case.

"I would also like to thank my legal team, especially Gwyn Lewis at Burton Copeland and all my advisors who have helped me throughout this case.

"All I want to do is continue my career in Italy with Juventus and I am looking forward to a new chapter."

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