Queens Park Rangers to appeal Barton red card
Queens Park Rangers are to appeal against the red card captain Joey Barton received when he was sent off in Monday's 2-1 Premier League defeat at home to Norwich, the club said on Tuesday.
- Agence France-Presse
- Updated: January 04, 2012 10:13 AM IST
Queens Park Rangers are to appeal against the red card captain Joey Barton received when he was sent off in Monday's 2-1 Premier League defeat at home to Norwich, the club said on Tuesday.
"QPR have formally lodged an appeal to the Football Association following Joey Barton's sending off against Norwich...The club will be making no further comment," said a brief statement from the west London side.
Barton, who gave Rangers an early lead at Loftus Road, was sent off in the 36th minute following a tussle with Bradley Johnson that ended with him apparently headbutting the Norwich midfielder.
But after the match Barton, who faces a three-game ban, said officials had been "conned" into showing him a red card.
The midfielder was sent off for the fifth time in his career during a stormy encounter between the two Premier League newboys.
Johnson hit the turf clutching his face as he squared up to Barton, but the QPR midfielder insisted officials had been duped into sending him off.
"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!," Barton wrote on Twitter shortly after the final whistle.
"Linesman definitely never saw it, all he seen was Johnsons reaction. My head dosent move forward at all. Ridiculous decision seen 25 replays.
"I'd be 1st to apologise if I'd reacted. Cannot apologise as I know I've not head butted anyone. Disappointed for the lads and the fans.
QPR manager Neil Warnock said he believed officials had been conned by Johnson.
"Who says cheats don't prosper? Bradley has conned him. We feel we have run over a few black cats," Warnock said. "It changed the game completely ... we got punished and we feel a bit aggrieved."
Norwich midfielder Johnson was pictured at the PDC World Darts Championship final at London's Alexandra Palace late Monday with a placard mocking the QPR skipper. It read: "Barton, your breath stinks."
Barton hit back, via Twitter, on Tuesday, by saying: "Don't worry people I've seen Boris (sic) Johnson from Norwich with his sign at the darts.
"He's irrelevant really, absolute no mark."
Barton also denied reports he would look to leave QPR at the end of this season, having only joined the club in the August transfer window.
"Whats this transfer request nonsense? I've never run from a challenge in my life, why would I start now. Absolute nonsensical £morelies."
Meanwhile QPR could face separate censure from the FA over an apparent Twitter remark from director Emir Gnanalingam, who joined the board following fellow Malaysian businessman's Tony Fernandes takeover of the club in August.
The message, which was swiftly deleted, is reported to have labelled referee Neil Swarbrick as "biased and blind".
In September, the FA wrote to Fernandes for Tweeting "this referee is blind" when Michael Oliver failed to award a penalty against Aston Villa despite a clear handball by defender Alan Hutton.
Monday's defeat left QPR hovering just two points above the relegation zone in 17th place, and Warnock's side have now lost five of their last six games.