Barton blasts referee for ‘ridiculous’ sending off

JOEY BARTON hit out at a “ridiculous decision” to send him off in QPR’s loss to Norwich at Loftus Road yesterday for an apparent headbutt on Bradley Johnson.

After firing the home side in front on 11 minutes, Barton lost his cool following a tussle with Johnson and appeared to headbutt the midfielder.

Following consultation with the assistant, he was shown a red card by referee Neil Swarbrick. However, the QPR captain defended himself on Twitter, saying: “Well feel for the officials, they’ve been conned. Admitted to me at HT they never saw it. I was pulled back 1st, then kicked 2nd.