Buenos Aries officials are calling on Manchester City to drop their disciplinary action against Carlos Tevez.
Buenos Aires governor Daniel Scioli, who is due to be re-elected on Sunday, waded into the row and begged Tevez to return to Argentina.
"I believe in Carlitos, and we want him back in Argentina," he said. "It's so unfair what Manchester City is doing to him. As for the fans who have been throwing their Tevez shirts into the rubbish bin, these people just have no respect."