Barton let club down, says City chairman

SEETHING Manchester City chairman John Wardle has accused disgraced midfielder Joey Barton of letting the club down.

Wardle handed the former England Under-21 star a record six-week fine after an internal investigation found Barton guilty of gross misconduct at a players’ Christmas party in Manchester on Sunday, when he poked a lighted cigar into the eye of young team-mate Jamie Tandy.

While 20-year-old Tandy, who has yet to make a first team appearance and is currently sidelined after a knee operation, has not escaped censure either after attempting to set fire to Barton’s fancy dress costume, City officials have left no doubt as to who they feel was mostly to blame for the club’s good name being dragged through the mud.