Carlos Tevez will be fined only two weeks' wages by Manchester City after the Professional Footballers' Association refused to sanction their intended four-week punishment.
The players' union, who must ratify any fines of more than two weeks' wages, have backed Tevez's claims that he did not refuse to play against Bayern Munich last month, as City have ruled.
Tevez has insisted since the Champions League game at the Allianz Arena on September 27 that he only refused to warm up. The PFA have now claimed the club had no evidence to charge the 27-year-old with anything else.
The Argentina striker was found guilty of five breaches of contract by City, including a refusal to play.
A PFA statement read: "The PFA's opinion, based on all the evidence presented, is that Carlos Tevez never refused to play for the club.
"This is accepted by the club in that the charge against Carlos made at the hearing was not one of refusing to play.
"As such the PFA considers that there is no justification for a fine other than up to the prescribed sanction of two weeks' wages agreed by the FA, the Premier League and PFA."
Four weeks' wages in Tevez's case is thought to be around £800,000.
PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor added: "If he had refused to play that would have been the charge and that would be gross misconduct.
"The charge was momentarily refusing to resume warming up. He never refused to play. If the evidence was strong and irrefutable, that's gross misconduct, as serious as it gets and could be a termination of contract. That's not the case."
City accept the PFA decision, which cannot be contested anyway, but have accused the union of a conflict of interests as Taylor represented Tevez at his disciplinary hearing.
A City statement read: "The club acknowledges that the players' union is the sole organisation empowered with granting the ability for clubs to levy fines greater than the two weeks provided for in player contracts.
"However, Manchester City is disappointed by the apparent PFA conflict of interest evident in this process.
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"Carlos Tevez has been personally represented throughout by the PFA chief executive, on whose considerations the club has been informed that the PFA has made its decision.
"Manchester City has been in constant dialogue with the PFA since September 28. Today's PFA decision is a departure from the club's understanding of that dialogue."
Tevez has until November 8 to formally announce whether he intends to appeal, which in the first instance would be heard by City's board of directors.
