Barton: FA have a vendetta against me

Joey Barton has launched a new attack on the “sad little men” he says are running the Football Association and accused them of engaging in a vendetta against him.



He vented his spleen on Twitter after learning that the first game Olympique Marseille played – against Rennes on Sept 2 – after he moved to France on loan from Queens Park Rangers does not count towards the 12-match ban he is serving for violent conduct on the final day of the last Premier League season at Eastlands.



Barton left QPR on Aug 31 but he claimed on Thursday night that the FA “couldn’t be bothered” registering the move until Sept 3 or 4. It means that the former England international cannot play for Marseille at Bordeaux on Saturday as he had been expecting.



“So my 12-match ban is now a 13-match ban,” he tweeted. “You gotta love the English FA. Well, no actually, you don’t! Ban has been extended as when I signed for Marseille on Friday 31st, the English FA where [sic] closed over the weekend and couldn’t be bothered ... registering me until the 3/4th.



“It’s so ludicrous a decision it’s like they have some hidden agenda/vendetta against me? Oh, ---- yeah I forgot, they actually do. I know who you are. You know who you are. Would I swap with you? Nope £sadlittlemen.”



It is understood, however, that it is normal for international clearance to take additional time because of the additional number of associations involved, particularly if a weekend intervenes.



There will also be surprise that Barton and Marseille were apparently not aware of the situation when he moved to France at the end of the transfer window.