It was Manchester City's big moment, a chance to show how far the "noisy neighbors" from the blue half of town have come from under the shadows of their big rivals -- but the day of wild celebrations ended with a humble apology to one of football's most iconic names.
When Carlos Tevez lifted a banner proclaiming "R.I.P. Fergie" during a victory parade marking a 44-year wait for an English league title, it brought into sharp focus comments by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson back in 2009.
"Not in my lifetime," the Scot said when asked if his team would ever be underdogs against City.
United may not have been underdogs this season, but certainly had to play second fiddle as City won both league derby clashes and snatched the Premier League crown from Ferguson's team in the final minutes of the campaign, if only by the narrowest of margins.
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City officials, to their credit, moved quickly to say sorry.
"The creation of the tasteless material is in itself reprehensible and in accepting and brandishing it, Carlos has made a significant error of judgment," said a club spokeswoman.
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"The club wishes to express its sincerest apologies to Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United Football Club for any offense or distress caused."
