Disgraced Barton may have played his last game for City

MANCHESTER CITY midfielder Joey Barton has been sent home from the team’s trip to Thailand following an alleged altercation in a hotel bar with a 15-year-old Everton fan.

After consultations with the club chairman John Wardle and deputy chairman Bryan Bodek, manager Stuart Pearce has decided to send the controversial 22-year-old back to Manchester as a result of his involvement in the incident.

“I can confirm that Joey Barton will be sent home tonight,” a club spokesman said.

The incident happened in the early hours of yesterday morning when the team returned to their hotel after spending the evening at a Thai restaurant.

The players had been given permission to enjoy a quiet drink for the first time since arriving in Bangkok a week ago.

Shortly after arriving at the bar, however, Barton became involved with the young fan, allegedly striking him before being restrained by club captain Richard Dunne, who got a cut hand for his efforts.

“Suffice to say, I’m very disappointed personally,” said Pearce earlier in the day. “If all the events that have been fed back to me are true, I’m very disappointed in Joey’s behaviour.

“I always put my trust in players. That’s the nature of things. I think any time anyone lets you down, in any way, shape or form, you’re disappointed.

“I treat my players, hopefully, like adults and grown men until such time where they betray my trust.”

While expressing his disappointment with Barton, Pearce cleared Dunne of all blame. “Richard Dunne’s behaviour was impartial and his behaviour was exemplary. He has nothing to do with it.

“All I can say is I feel a little bit sorry for Richard Dunne for probably being tarred with the same brush.

“I want to make it quite clear that after our inquiries Richard Dunne’s got nothing to do with this, except as acting as a peacemaker.”

Liverpool-born Barton - who was an Everton fan in his youth - is no stranger to controversy. In December he was fined six weeks’ wages, two of those suspended, for jabbing a lit cigar into the eye of former City reserve team player Jamie Tandy.

The suspended portion of that punishment will almost certainly be activated as a result of the latest altercation, costing Barton £30,000 and he may be put on the transfer list.

The incident is the first disciplinary test for manager Pearce. “As long as I’ve been manager, the team has always been more important than any one individual. That is the case at this present moment in time and it always will be the case as far as I’m concerned as long as I’m manager,” Pearce said.