Football thug Joey Barton is in more trouble with authorities after being charged by the English Football Association with violent conduct.
The 25-year-old Newcastle United midfielder has been charged over an assault on then Manchester City teammate Ousmane Dabo in May last year.
Barton has been given a four-month prison sentence over the attack, with the sentence suspended for two years, after he pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
The FA has now charged Barton after receiving the documentation it had requested from that case.
Barton was released from jail this week after serving 74 days of a six-month sentence for another assault in Liverpool last year.
Despite the player’s troubled history, Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has expressed his desire to keep Barton at the club.
Newcastle is not happy with the time it has taken for the FA to lodge a charge against Barton.
“The club has sought clarification from the Football Association as to why this decision has been reached now, given the incident occurred nearly 15 months ago,” Newcastle said in a statement.
“Joey will be requesting a personal hearing in relation to the charge and the club will be making no further comment on the matter at this time.”
