FA set to punish Joey Barton after punching Morten Gamst Pedersen
Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton could be handed a ban by the Football Association after punching Blackburn’s Morten Gamst Pedersen.
The incident happened during the second-half of Newcastle’s 2-1 home defeat; although Barton wasn’t punished by referee Michael Jones as the match official didn’t see it.
Replays confirmed that Barton, who has previously faced disciplinary action for violent conduct, did strike the Norway international in his chest, which could lead to a suspension if the FA choose to take retrospective action.
However, Pedersen was reluctant to speak about the incident after the final whistle: "You've seen the pictures, it's up to FA to act not me."
At the end of the match, Barton attempted to explain himself to Pedersen, but the FA are likely to take a dim view of the apparent unprovoked attacked.
Sam Allardyce managed Barton while at St James’ Park, and the Rovers boss, like Pedersen, was also unprepared to comment.
"I'm not really going to talk about that because I don't want to detract from our victory," he said. "Whoever will see it will see it and do whatever needs to be done."
Meanwhile, Newcastle manager Chris Hughton claimed he didn’t see the incident.
Barton has been one of the Magpies’ standout performers this term and had been linked to an England call-up for the France friendly later this month, but this latest in a long line of unsavoury incidents may have damaged his chances once again.
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