Manchester City’s Tevez to Do Community Order After Driving Offenses

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez was ordered to carry out 250 hours of community service after admitting Wednesday to driving with his license suspended and without insurance.

The Argentina international was also handed a fresh six-month driving ban and ordered to pay costs of 1,145 pounds ($1,730) after pleading guilty to the offenses in court near Manchester.

“Mr. Tevez, you must realize you are a role model to thousands, if not millions, of fans but nobody is above the law,” magistrate Elizabeth Depares said.

Tevez could have been sent to prison for six months if the court had given him the maximum sanction available to someone driving while disqualified.

The 29-year-old Tevez was already seven weeks into a six-month ban when he was stopped by police while driving a sports car near his home on March 7, following an anonymous tip-off. Tevez was driving home from a golf club and told officers: “I only live down the road. Two minutes.”

“You should not have been driving,” Depares said. “We have heard that you are sorry and it is now up to you to ensure you will not be brought back to court again.”

Tevez, who has played in England since 2006, still doesn’t hold a British driving license because he hasn’t passed a theory test in English. He listened to proceedings in court with the aid of an interpreter, who translated into his native Spanish.

Tevez was handed his sentence after talking to probation officer Mike Boliver while the case was briefly adjourned.

“He was very clear when talking to me this has been a very salutary lesson,” Boliver said. “I think (considering) the seriousness and significance of this type of offense, I think the likelihood of this happening again is very, very slim. Mr. Tevez would welcome a chance to put something back into the community.”

Tevez has scored five goals since he was charged with the motoring offenses.