Joey Barton Banned For 18 Months For Breaking Betting Rules
Joey Barton says he will appeal against the 18-month ban from all football activity he has received from the FA.
The Burnley midfielder has been punished, with immediate effect, after admitting breaking gambling rules.
He has also been fined £30,000
It was alleged that between 26th March, 2006 and 13th May, 2016, he placed 1,260 bets on football matches.
Barton says the ban would force him into "an early retirement".
“I am very disappointed at the harshness of the sanction”, he said in a 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.
“I think if the FA is truly serious about tackling the culture of gambling in football, it needs to look at its own dependence on the gambling companies, their role in football and in sports broadcasting, rather than just blaming the players who place a bet.
“I grew up in an environment where betting was and still is part of the culture.
“From as early as I can remember my family let me have my own pools coupon, and older members of the family would place bets for me on big races like the Grand National.
“To this day, I rarely compete at anything without there being something at stake.
“Whether that’s a round of golf with friends for a few pounds, or a game of darts in the training ground for who makes the tea, I love competing.
“I love winning. I am also addicted to that.
“It is also the case that professional football has long had a betting culture, and I have been in the sport all my adult life.
“Given the money in the game, and the explosion in betting on sport, I understand why the rules have been strengthened, and I also accept that I have been in breach of them.
“I accept too that the FA has to be seen to lead on this issue. But surely they need to accept there is a huge clash between their rules and the culture that surrounds the modern game”.
“I say none of this to justify myself. But I do want to explain that sometimes these issues are more complicated than they seem.
“A ban of 18 months is longer than several bans handed to players who played in matches where they bet for their team to lose and – unlike me – were found to have had an ability to influence the games.