A year ago
Joey Barton has described referee Joshua Smith as a "match lover" after he was sent off during Bristol Rovers' 1-2 home loss to Sheffield last Wednesday.
The FA slapped Joey Barton with a three-match ban and fined him £3,000 for his behavior towards the referee.
The Bristol Rovers manager lost his temper with referee Joshua Smith when his side met Sheffield on Wednesday in League One last month, losing 2-1. Barton, 40, was sent off and has now been found guilty of three misconduct by FA officials.
Rovers have confirmed to Bristol Live that they will appeal the decision to cause Barton to miss the first three games of the 2023-24 season. The FA have not released specifics on what constitutes the three fouls, but the former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder's latest foul took place in front of spectators at the Memorial Stadium. In the 85th minute, Barton was shown a red card after protesting against officials after a controversial decision to not allow striker John Marquis to score. His strike could have equalized but was ruled out for offside, a decision Barton was adamantly incorrect.
During the post-match press conference, the 40-year-old let go of referee Smith, calling him a "match fan". "That second goal is key," lamented Barton. "It was a legitimate target and pro game fans attacked again. You try to talk to him just to get him to admit he made a mistake, but they're like traffic police. , referee. You cannot talk to them.
"It's annoying when it ruins the game, but we have to play better and not go 2-0 down at half-time and take the lead. I won't complain much about the referee, but it's frustrating when you have a job to do as a queue person and you can't even do it right.
Joey Barton will miss Bristol Rovers first three games of next season
Joey Barton will miss Bristol Rovers first three games of next season
"It's frustrating for the officials because they are the law themselves and you have to be careful with what you say because they will try to fine you and get more time before the disciplinary committee, which I have had enough of. It's my story and I don't want it anymore."
The FA said in its statement:
"The manager admitted that his behavior after being sent off was inappropriate; and he subsequently used abusive, offensive and inappropriate language towards a match referee. both in the tunnel and in the match officials' locker rooms.
“An independent regulatory committee has imposed the sanctions following a hearing and the written reasons will be announced in due course. The three-match ban will apply to official first-team matches next season."
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