QPR captain Barton banned for 12 matches
CONTROVERSIAL midfielder Joey Barton’s QPR future was plunged into fresh doubt last night after he received a 12-match ban for three instances of violent conduct against Manchester City earlier this month.
Rangers captain Barton will not play until November at the earliest after being handed an eight-game suspension on top of his statutory four-match ban for accruing a second red card of the season.
One of the longest bans ever issued by the Football Association, the punishment is the latest stain on Barton’s chequered career and will add to pressure on QPR to terminate the 29-year-old’s contract.
“There are rules of conduct that should be adhered to,” said the chairman of the FA’s regulatory commission. “Such behaviour tarnishes the image of football in this country, particularly as this match was the pinnacle of the season and watched by millions around the globe.”
Barton, who was sent off for elbowing Carlos Tevez, admitted kicking Sergio Aguero before being forcibly restrained. He denied attempting to headbutt Vincent Kompany and requested a personal hearing yesterday, but was found guilty of the third charge too. He was also fined £75,000.
The former Newcastle and City player, who has one England cap, could find himself excluded from QPR’s 25-man squad for next season, depending on the outcome of the club’s own internal investigation.
Barton, sentenced to six months in prison in 2008 for common assault, joined Rangers from Newcastle last summer on a three-year contract.