Joey Barton’s career could be over after he was banned for 18 months. PHOTO/SKYSPORT.
LONDON, United Kingdom, Apr 26- Burnley midfielder Joey Barton has been banned from all football-related activity for 18 months after an FA Association hearing over breaches of betting rules.
Barton accepted a misconduct charge in February and requested a personal hearing after he was accused of placing 1,260 bets on football over a span of 10 years.
An FA statement read: “Joey Barton has been suspended from football and all football activity for 18-months with immediate effect after he admitted an FA misconduct charge in relation to betting.
“It was alleged that between 26 March 2006 and 13 May 2016, he placed 1,260 bets on the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of, or occurrence in, football matches or competitions in breach of FA Rule E8.
“Following the Independent Regulatory Commission hearing, the Burnley midfielder was also fined £30,000 and warned as to his future conduct.
“Written Reasons will follow in due course.”
Burnley issued a statement saying Barton would appeal against the severity of the ban which would rule him out until past his 36th birthday.
Barton wrote in his own statement: “The decision effectively forces me into an early retirement from playing football. To be clear from the outset here this is not match fixing and at no point in any of this is my integrity in question.
“I accept that I broke the rules governing professional footballers, but I do feel the penalty is heavier than it might be for other less controversial players. I have fought addiction to gambling and provided the FA with a medical report about my problem. I’m disappointed it wasn’t taken into proper consideration.”
By Sky Sports
