Tevez returns to Corinthians after weekend of controversy

Argentina forward Carlos Tevez trained with his club Corinthians yesterday after spending the weekend in Buenos Aires and missing a crunch derby.

Tevez, who last played for the Brazilian champions on May 7 before leaving for the World Cup, was due to return last Thursday.

However, he was allowed to stay in Buenos Aires for personal reasons - a decision that caused a public rift between the club directors and their partners Media Sports Investments (MSI).

MSI president Kia Joorabchian intervened to allow Tevez to stay at home after club directors demanded he play in Sunday's Brazilian championship match against arch-rivals Palmeiras.

Without Tevez, Corinthians lost 1-0, their sixth consecutive defeat, and dropped to 19th in the 20-team table.

Tevez returned to Brazil on Monday night. He rushed through Sao Paulo airport, refusing to speak to reporters.

The club's notorious supporters group Gavioes da Fiel (Hawks of the Faithful) said they would demand a meeting with the player and ask for an explanation.

"We want to know what's all this talk about personal problems and if it would really affect his performance on the field," the group's vice-president Wildner Rocha said.

Tevez joined Corinthians for a South American record fee of $18 million, shortly after the club signed their partnership deal with London-based MSI.

Corinthians became rich overnight and won last year's Brazilian championship after splashing out on several expensive signings.

This year, the team's performances have fallen into chaos after being knocked out of the South American Libertadores Cup.