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Joey Barton



Greg Bobkin

Silver Seagull
May 22, 2012
16,301
His statement seems to be along the lines of 'I admit I did it, I get why the FA have to be firm in their punishment but it's their fault not mine and I'm appealing'.

Edit; The whole, stupidly long, thing (without the table at the end);

'The FA have announced I am banned from all football for 18 months and fined £30,000 and costs for offences against The FA’s Betting Rules. I am very disappointed at the harshness of the sanction. 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 am not alone in football in having a problem with gambling. 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, where anyone who watches follows football on TV or in the stadia is bombarded by marketing, advertising and sponsorship by betting companies, and where much of the coverage now, on Sky for example, is intertwined with the broadcasters’ own gambling interests.

That all means this is not an easy environment in which to try to stop gambling, or even to encourage people within the sport that betting is wrong. It is like asking a recovering alcoholic to spend all his time in a pub or a brewery. If the FA is serious about tackling gambling I would urge it to reconsider its own dependence on the gambling industry. I say that knowing that every time I pull on my team’s shirt, I am advertising a betting company.

I say none of this to justify myself. But I do want to explain that sometimes these issues are more complicated than they seem.

As for the scale of my football betting, since 2004, on a Betfair account held in my own name, registered at my home address and verified by my own passport, with full transparency, I have placed over 15,000 bets across a whole range of sports. Just over 1,200 were placed on football and subject to the charges against me. The average bet was just over £150, many were for only a few pounds.

For the modern footballer, downtime and rest are important and I spend much of my time away from training in front of a TV screen, channel hopping across a range of sports, and betting on the outcome of games. I like watching sports and predicting the outcome. Set alongside what we are privileged to earn as footballers, my betting stakes are relatively small. Betting for me, is less about how much money I win or lose, and more about whether I can correctly predict the outcome of the game I’m watching. I hate losing more than I like winning, and this mindset has helped prevent me from placing big bets, for fear of losing big.

Raised at the hearing was that between 2004 and 2011 I placed a handful of bets on my own team to lose matches. I accept of course that this is against the rules, for the obvious reason that a player with an additional financial stake in the game might seek to change the course of it for his own personal gain. However I’d like to offer some context.*

First, in every game I have played, I have given everything. I’m confident that anyone who has ever seen me play, or played with or against me, will confirm that to be the case. I am more aware than anyone that I have character issues that I struggle with, and my addictive personality is one of them, but I am a devoted and dedicated professional who has always given my all on the pitch.

Second, on the few occasions where I placed a bet on my own team to lose, I was not involved in the match day squad for any of those games. I did not play. I was not even on the bench. I had no more ability to influence the outcome than had I been betting on darts, snooker, or a cricket match in the West Indies. I should add that on some of those occasions, my placing of the bet on my own team to lose was an expression of my anger and frustration at not being picked or being unable to play. I understand people will think that is childish and selfish and I cannot disagree with that.

Third, I should point out that the last of these bets against my own team was six years ago (and in a reserve game), when I was going through a particularly troubled period, and when the FA were not nearly as hard on gambling as they are now.

One thing I can state with absolute certainty – I have never placed a bet against my own team when in a position to influence the game, and I am pleased that in all of the interviews with the FA, and at the hearing, my integrity on that point has never been in question. I could not live with myself, nor face my team-mates or the fans of the clubs I played for, if they seriously thought I would bet on my team to lose a game whose outcome I could influence.

The Commission that heard my case made clear in their reasons on a number of occasions that “there was no suggestion was involved in match fixing” and I am publishing a list of my bets because I want the full facts of my case to be known.

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. The only players to be banned for 12 months or longer bet against their own teams and played in the matches in which they placed those bets. Players who did not play in the matches they placed the bets in have never been banned for longer than 6 months. I feel the ban is excessive in this context.

Throughout my career I am someone who has made mistakes and owned up to those mistakes and tried to learn from them. I intend to do that here. I accept that this is one more mess I got into because of my own behaviour. This episode has brought home to me that just as I had to face up to the need to get help to deal with alcohol abuse, and with anger, so now I need to get help for my issues with gambling, and I will do so.

I want to thank the Burnley FC board, management, players and staff for their faith and understanding, and their belief that I would play for them, and play well, even with this hanging over me, and I want to thank the Burnley fans for the support they have given me throughout. They have been brilliant.

Having consulted with my friends and lawyers, I have decided I will be appealing against the length of the ban. I hope that I shall be afforded a fair hearing by an independent Appeal Panel. If I am, we are confident that the sanction will be reduced to a fair one that both reflects the offences as well as the mitigating factors and the fact that there was nothing untoward or suspicious about the bets I made.

I’m keen to be open about it, here are the thirty most pertinent bets as determined by the FA:'


I couldn't be doing with reading all of it, to be honest, but the tables you mention are fascinating. He's not very good at this gambling malarky, is he? :dunce:
 




Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
73,888
West west west Sussex
Did he bet on games that he was involved in, or just other games?

The appeal would also suggest he's also has a flutter on how long the suspension will be.
 


Gullflyinghigh

Registered User
Apr 23, 2012
4,279
I couldn't be doing with reading all of it, to be honest, but the tables you mention are fascinating. He's not very good at this gambling malarky, is he? :dunce:
Possibly the best (if you enjoy his predicament) part, he broke the rules, got banned and did it badly in this first place.

Whoops.
 


Me and my Monkey

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Nov 3, 2015
3,474
Not a fan of him as a player, but I'm a bit hesitant to laugh at someone who clearly has an addiction. Hopefully he can use the 18 months to get help.

You're right, of course. Now I've calmed down a bit, and can be more objective - I think our Joey is rather a muddled character for whom football keeps him on the straight(ish) and narrow(ish). It could all get a bit messy from hereon in.
 


rippleman

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2011
5,032
For those (few) who think Barton has been harshly treatment, the ban is in line with the minimum a jockey can expect to receive for betting/laying a horse, with the maximum ban being 10 years!
 






nicko31

Well-known member
Jan 7, 2010
18,712
Gods country fortnightly
I'm sure he'll be in Talk Sport soon, Murdoch will employ him
 






Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
53,632
Goldstone
I've always rather liked Barton. There, I've said it. He's a standout character, a villain in this panto we call football, and it would be less of a game without those of his ilk.
Wow. I'm almost feeling sad reading that. Football to me is so far from a pantomime and to see a fellow fan describe it as such is shocking. Some of the chants towards opposing fans are indeed pantomime, but that's a tiny part of the sport I love for the skill and passion it gives.

And football would be even more if it weren't for people like Barton. Imagine the beautiful game being played without any cheating. It would be even more glorious.
 




sir albion

New member
Jan 6, 2007
13,055
SWINDON
if Dale Stephens WANTS to leave then it's best to let him go......seeing as we are now a prem side next season there can't be much of a decision to be made apart from whether he wants to be back ooop north , or if he is happy to play prem football for us...whatever will be will be...imho
Spot on
 








scamander

Well-known member
Aug 9, 2011
598
as a Claret I can onyl view it as to what difference it makes to the club. Going into a second season in the Prem without Barton isn't a worry, in fact it's been a shame that we've not tried a bit more creativity in the middle. Defour isn't 100% fit but more a genuine threat.

I'm unsure if this will make a difference with Stephens, from what I understand we need creativity and though Stephens is a good player he seems more a holding midfielder. Chances are we'll look to use the money we get from Keane for a forward and perhaps a couple of decent CMs to work alongside Hendrick. Not sure if Defour will stay either.
 






AmexRuislip

Retired Spy 🕵️‍♂️
Feb 2, 2014
34,999
Ruislip
As much as this is good news, I can't help getting the feeling that he'll be chief pundit on that lousy football program on C5!
His loss to football for 18 months, kind of equates to a ban on NSC for Palarse trolls that roam these lands :shrug:
 


NooBHA

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2015
8,592
His statement seems to be along the lines of 'I admit I did it, I get why the FA have to be firm in their punishment but it's their fault not mine and I'm appealing'.

Edit; The whole, stupidly long, thing (without the table at the end);

'The FA have announced I am banned from all football for 18 months and fined £30,000 and costs for offences against The FA’s Betting Rules. I am very disappointed at the harshness of the sanction. 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 am not alone in football in having a problem with gambling. 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, where anyone who watches follows football on TV or in the stadia is bombarded by marketing, advertising and sponsorship by betting companies, and where much of the coverage now, on Sky for example, is intertwined with the broadcasters’ own gambling interests.

That all means this is not an easy environment in which to try to stop gambling, or even to encourage people within the sport that betting is wrong. It is like asking a recovering alcoholic to spend all his time in a pub or a brewery. If the FA is serious about tackling gambling I would urge it to reconsider its own dependence on the gambling industry. I say that knowing that every time I pull on my team’s shirt, I am advertising a betting company.

I say none of this to justify myself. But I do want to explain that sometimes these issues are more complicated than they seem.

As for the scale of my football betting, since 2004, on a Betfair account held in my own name, registered at my home address and verified by my own passport, with full transparency, I have placed over 15,000 bets across a whole range of sports. Just over 1,200 were placed on football and subject to the charges against me. The average bet was just over £150, many were for only a few pounds.

For the modern footballer, downtime and rest are important and I spend much of my time away from training in front of a TV screen, channel hopping across a range of sports, and betting on the outcome of games. I like watching sports and predicting the outcome. Set alongside what we are privileged to earn as footballers, my betting stakes are relatively small. Betting for me, is less about how much money I win or lose, and more about whether I can correctly predict the outcome of the game I’m watching. I hate losing more than I like winning, and this mindset has helped prevent me from placing big bets, for fear of losing big.

Raised at the hearing was that between 2004 and 2011 I placed a handful of bets on my own team to lose matches. I accept of course that this is against the rules, for the obvious reason that a player with an additional financial stake in the game might seek to change the course of it for his own personal gain. However I’d like to offer some context.*

First, in every game I have played, I have given everything. I’m confident that anyone who has ever seen me play, or played with or against me, will confirm that to be the case. I am more aware than anyone that I have character issues that I struggle with, and my addictive personality is one of them, but I am a devoted and dedicated professional who has always given my all on the pitch.

Second, on the few occasions where I placed a bet on my own team to lose, I was not involved in the match day squad for any of those games. I did not play. I was not even on the bench. I had no more ability to influence the outcome than had I been betting on darts, snooker, or a cricket match in the West Indies. I should add that on some of those occasions, my placing of the bet on my own team to lose was an expression of my anger and frustration at not being picked or being unable to play. I understand people will think that is childish and selfish and I cannot disagree with that.

Third, I should point out that the last of these bets against my own team was six years ago (and in a reserve game), when I was going through a particularly troubled period, and when the FA were not nearly as hard on gambling as they are now.

One thing I can state with absolute certainty – I have never placed a bet against my own team when in a position to influence the game, and I am pleased that in all of the interviews with the FA, and at the hearing, my integrity on that point has never been in question. I could not live with myself, nor face my team-mates or the fans of the clubs I played for, if they seriously thought I would bet on my team to lose a game whose outcome I could influence.

The Commission that heard my case made clear in their reasons on a number of occasions that “there was no suggestion was involved in match fixing” and I am publishing a list of my bets because I want the full facts of my case to be known.

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. The only players to be banned for 12 months or longer bet against their own teams and played in the matches in which they placed those bets. Players who did not play in the matches they placed the bets in have never been banned for longer than 6 months. I feel the ban is excessive in this context.

Throughout my career I am someone who has made mistakes and owned up to those mistakes and tried to learn from them. I intend to do that here. I accept that this is one more mess I got into because of my own behaviour. This episode has brought home to me that just as I had to face up to the need to get help to deal with alcohol abuse, and with anger, so now I need to get help for my issues with gambling, and I will do so.

I want to thank the Burnley FC board, management, players and staff for their faith and understanding, and their belief that I would play for them, and play well, even with this hanging over me, and I want to thank the Burnley fans for the support they have given me throughout. They have been brilliant.

Having consulted with my friends and lawyers, I have decided I will be appealing against the length of the ban. I hope that I shall be afforded a fair hearing by an independent Appeal Panel. If I am, we are confident that the sanction will be reduced to a fair one that both reflects the offences as well as the mitigating factors and the fact that there was nothing untoward or suspicious about the bets I made.

I’m keen to be open about it, here are the thirty most pertinent bets as determined by the FA:'

Sorry your honour. I only went through the red light and was speeding because it waslate at night and there was no other traffic coming. I didn't knock anyone down or kill anyone so I think I should be ''admonished'' It was a victimless crime.

Well Mr Barton - Victimless crime or not you broke the law and you must pay the consequences !
 






Gullflyinghigh

Registered User
Apr 23, 2012
4,279
Sorry your honour. I only went through the red lightand was speeding because it late at night and there was no other traffic coming. I didn't know anyone down or kill anyone so I think I should be ''admonished'' It was a victimless crime.

Well Mr Barton - Victimless crime or not you broke the law and you must pay the consequences !

I read it more as a; 'Yes m'lud I went through the red light but that's only because the system put them there in the first place, if they stopped putting traffic lights on roads I couldn't have done it in the first place. Innocent!'
 


NooBHA

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2015
8,592
as a Claret I can onyl view it as to what difference it makes to the club. Going into a second season in the Prem without Barton isn't a worry, in fact it's been a shame that we've not tried a bit more creativity in the middle. Defour isn't 100% fit but more a genuine threat.

I'm unsure if this will make a difference with Stephens, from what I understand we need creativity and though Stephens is a good player he seems more a holding midfielder. Chances are we'll look to use the money we get from Keane for a forward and perhaps a couple of decent CMs to work alongside Hendrick. Not sure if Defour will stay either.

What Burnley think or don't think will be irrelevant I fear - I have a feeling whether Stephens stays or goes from Brighton will depend solely in whether Dale himself has gotten over the disappointment of what happened in the summer.
 


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