PFA 'won't give up' on Barton

The Professional Footballers Association expect Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton to pursue his anger management treatment with the Sporting Chance clinic and insist they “won’t give up” on the troubled player.

Barton has been suspended by City following a training-ground altercation with team-mate Ousmane Dabo, with the Frenchman saying he will take legal action against the player who he claims has left him “disfigured”.

The 24-year-old’s future at City is now very much in doubt, with the Dabo incident the latest in a series of misdemeanours on and off the field.

But PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor insists there is always a way back and believes Barton will continue to receive help to control his temper.

He said: “Joey has been in regular touch with the Sporting Chance clinic and that is on an anger management basis. He is going to pursue that, he is very close to people at the clinic.

“Of course we see a way back for Joey, we don’t give up on anybody. It’s very unfortunate what has happened, but we don’t give up on anybody, and nor would we want to be taking any sides in the incident.

“We’ll deal with both players impartially and that’s what we’ve been trying to do.”

Taylor also defended the PFA against claims from Dabo that no-one from the union had contacted him since the incident, insisting that his delegate liaison officer Richard Jobson had made attempts to speak to the player.

He added: “As regards Dabo, Richard Jobson is looking to make contact with him because he deals with his brother (Moussa Dabo, who plays for Oldham) on a regular basis.

“So that is a bit of an odd response. Richard is a really genuine lad and I know if he tells me he has been trying to make contact then he has. It’s a strange comment because (Dabo) should know his younger brother has been helped considerably by the PFA.”

Both Barton and Dabo will miss Saturday’s Premiership derby with Manchester United at Eastlands following the fracas, which had led to intense speculation that Barton will be axed by City boss Stuart Pearce in the summer.

The City boss refused to discuss the specifics of the scrap, confirming the matter is now subject to an internal disciplinary hearing which will be held the week after the season ends, but Dabo is clearly not going to let it lie.

Dabo told L’Equipe: “I am disfigured. My left eye has been affected. I believe he put his fingers in my eyes. I am suffering. But I don’t remember much because his first punch made me lose consciousness.

“I went to turn around, he hit me and knocked me out. He acted like a coward, it wasn’t a fair fight.”

The pair exchanged fierce challenges which led to them squaring up before, Dabo claims, Barton launched his attack.

Dabo added in The Sun: “I just pushed him away and turned my back to walk off. That’s when he hit me. I really don’t remember exactly what happened but I’ve been told by all my team-mates he hit me from behind, a right hook which hit me on the temple and knocked me out for a few seconds.

“As I started to fall he jumped on top of me, held my head and punched me twice more in the face. Apparently when I was on the floor he again punched me before being pulled off. When I came round, and it can only have been a matter of seconds, there was blood everywhere.

“I was spitting blood and my eye was clouded over and when I realised what had happened – I wanted to go after him.”