Barton shown leniency over assault

July 5, 2008

Joey Barton was treated with consideration after attacking Dabo, his former Manchester City teammate, while both clashed in a training ground. The midfielder is reported to have punched his hitherto Manchester Colleague five times, which left him unconscious and bleeding on the ground.

The Newcastle player, who had erstwhile vigorously denied the allegation claiming that the committed act was in self defense, finally changed his plea to the state of guilty. According to Newcastle United, a meeting has been planned to discuss Barton’s future.

A statement published on the website of the club said ‘Until such time that this meeting has taken place, there will be no further comment from the club on the player’. Today, the player was sentenced suspended for 2 years for his misconduct.

The pair clashed on May 1, 2007. The eyewitnesses of the clash recalled Joey repeatedly hitting Dabo violently. According to Georgio Samarasm, a player, the act was extremely violent and it was unforgettable. Barton was sold to Newcastle United by City for £5.8m last year, which signed a five year contract with the player.

After entering the premiership scene in April 2003, Barton has been the talk of the town both in and out of the field. Having involvement in several violent incidents, including the one with an old man and another involving Everton’s 15-year old fan, this former Manchester City player has been a ‘Bad Boy’ in football.

For the current scuffle, Police released the CCTV footage of the scuffle after Barton admitted the allegation.

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