Barton blasts Giggs and Terry

JOEY BARTON, inset, lived up to his reputation for outspoken honesty yesterday with attacks on Ryan Giggs, John Terry and the England rugby team.

Despite sharing a stage with four other speakers at yesterday’s Professional Players Federation national conference, Barton completely dominated the discussion, giving forth views on matters such as the right to privacy, social media, the British Royal family, the London riots, MPs expenses, and the Hillsborough disaster.

But it was his comments on fellow professionals Giggs and Terry and England’s shamed rugby stars that were perhaps the most inflammatory.

The QPR captain hit out at Manchester United star Giggs’ alleged affair with his own sister-in-law, saying: “The Giggs issue in any walk of life is not right. The behaviour of the man towards another man, towards his brother, it’s not right, regardless of the player.”

Barton also questioned Giggs’ response to his name becoming public on the internet after an injunction was granted preventing it being published by traditional media.

“What blew it up for Giggs was when he threatened to sue Twitter — bad legal advice,” Barton said.

“I don’t think anybody in the world’s got the kind of money to get that case through.

“Everyone on Twitter got defensive about their right to freedom of speech.”

Barton was equally critical of England captain Terry, who allegedly had an affair with the former partner of then international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

The midfielder said: “There was a human element then about, as a man, what you should do either to your friend at work or one of your colleagues.

“It shouldn’t have happened.”

Barton also claimed there would have been “public executions” had the England football team behaved like their rugby union counterparts at the current World Cup in New Zealand lurched.

Barton, who has one international cap, said: “If that was an England football team at a World Cup, there would probably have been public executions when they got home.

“‘Football’s a gentleman’s game played by thugs’, I hear quite a lot, and, ‘Rugby’s a thug’s game played by gentlemen’.’’