Manchester City slap £160k fine on bad-boy Craig Bellamy for Roberto Mancini outburst



Craig Bellamy will be hit with a heavy fine by Manchester City and has almost certainly played his last game for the club after being dropped from the Europa League squad.

Bellamy this week claimed manager Roberto Mancini was trying to force him out of Eastlands and threatened to quit football if he was left out of the club’s 25-man Premier League squad for the season.

Fuming City are ready to fine the Wales forward the maximum two weeks’ wages - £160,000 in Bellamy’s case.



Outspoken: Bellamy's comments about Roberto Mancini have landed him in hot water

Bellamy made it clear after playing a starring role for Wales during their 5-1 demolition of Luxembourg that he was prepared to fight any action taken by his club.



He did not want to add to his pre-match comments but insisted that he could not be fined as he was speaking while on international, not club, duty.



He confirmed that his agent had made Manchester City aware of the Wales skipper's feelings on the matter.



He was not in Mancini’s squad, named yesterday, for next Thursday’s Europa League qualifying tie against Romanian side FC Timisoara and has killed off any hope of making the Premier League list.

City have finally lost patience with the forward who was no stranger to trouble even before he moved from West Ham for £14million in January 2009.

Bellamy has clashed with Mancini several times. They first fell out in February when the 31-year-old defied his manager’s instruction to train with one of his Italian coaches, sparking a row in which Mancini is believed to have told Bellamy to stay away from the club for three months.

There's the exit: Mancini is unlikely to name Bellamy in his 25-man squad for the season

City then launched an internal investigation in March after Mancini’s touchline bust-up with David Moyes amid claims Bellamy had made comment in support of the Everton manager as he went down the players’ tunnel.



On his way: Balotelli is expected to arrive at Eastlands this week



The club were also unhappy with the enthusiastic manner in which Bellamy greeted Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp after his side ended City’s hopes of a Champions League place with victory at Eastlands in May.

Spurs are favourites to sign the player as City look to offload him this summer.

Stephen Ireland was also left out of City’s European squad as talks continue with Aston Villa over a player-plus-cash deal for James Milner, but Robinho was a surprise inclusion as he returns to Carrington today following a loan spell at Santos.

City were last night linked with his Brazil team-mate Thiago Silva, a defender valued at £30m by his club AC Milan.

And Mario Balotelli’s move from neighbours Inter could go through on Thursday as the striker celebrates his 20th birthday.

City defender Kolo Toure, who got a close up view of Balotelli when the Ivory Coast played Italy at Upton Park on Tuesday, said: ‘I had a few words with him on the pitch and I hope to see him soon.

‘I told him that we are waiting for him. We hope that the deal will happen.’



