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Joey Barton to appeal 18-month ban for breaching FA betting regulations

MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND - APRIL 08: Joey Barton of Burnley (R) argues with referee Martin Atkinson during the Premier League match between Middlesbrough and
Image: Joey Barton will appeal the length of his ban from football

Joey Barton has confirmed he will appeal the length of his 18-month suspension from football for betting on matches, insisting he has been treated more harshly than "less controversial" players.

The Burnley midfielder was handed a ban on football and all football-related activity by the FA after he admitted betting on the outcome of 1,260 bets on football over a span of 10 years.

While admitting he had broken FA rules, Barton feels the suspension was excessive and effectively forces him into an early retirement.

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The Burnley midfielder received a lengthy ban for breaching FA betting rules. Barton has admitted wrong-doing but will appeal the length of the suspension.

"The FA have announced I am banned from all football for 18 months and fined £30,000 and costs for offences against The FA's Betting Rules," he said in a statement.

"I am very disappointed at the harshness of the sanction. The decision effectively forces me into an early retirement from playing football. To be clear from the outset here this is not match fixing and at no point in any of this is my integrity in question.

"I accept that I broke the rules governing professional footballers, but I do feel the penalty is heavier than it might be for other less controversial players.

"I have fought addiction to gambling and provided the FA with a medical report about my problem. I'm disappointed it wasn't taken into proper consideration.

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I am very disappointed at the harshness of the sanction. The decision effectively forces me into an early retirement from football.
Joey Barton

"A ban of 18 months is longer than several bans handed to players who played in matches where they bet for their team to lose and - unlike me - were found to have had an ability to influence the games.

"The only players to be banned for 12 months or longer bet against their own teams and played in the matches in which they placed those bets.

"Players who did not play in the matches they placed the bets in have never been banned for longer than six months. I feel the ban is excessive in this context."

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