Joey Barton isn’t a stranger to controversy, whether it be his six-month prison sentence for common assault and affray, gambling charges, or multiple instances of bust-ups with football players.
In recent weeks, Barton has hit the headlines again, and as you would expect, not in a favourable manner.
Towards the beginning of December, Barton unleashed a misogynistic tirade on social media, shocking his followers and the millions of X (formally Twitter) users that his posts were shared with. His controversial posts on the platform were in response to Amazon Prime’s coverage of the Premier League, featuring female pundits which included Eni Aluko, Siobhan Chamberlain, Gabby Logan, and Robyn Cowen.
Barton’s Tweet
Barton’s social media posts claimed that women “shouldn’t be talking with any kind of authority in the men’s game.” He insisted that the men’s and women’s games are entirely different, questioning the credibility of women commentators and pundits in men’s football.
As we’ve seen in the past, Joey Barton isn’t afraid of a controversial outburst, however, his comments did surprise many given his previous support for the #HERGAMETOO campaign which is aimed at combating sexism in sports.
Where Now For Joey Barton?
Many public figures have had the cancel button smashed down on them almost instantly after much less offensive comments than Barton’s, and it seems as though a prompt public apology is generally the preferred route for salvation. However, Barton has chosen to double-down on his beliefs, continuing to share social posts regarding his dislike for females commentating on men’s football.
Despite signing a new 3-year contract extension on July 1st as manager of Bristol Rovers, Barton was sacked under 4 months later. Although club owner owner Hussain AlSaeed stated that the decision was for purely footballing reasons, Barton’s dismissal came just hours after calling Stevenage manager Steve Evans ‘a fat man’ and ‘a weeble’.
Joey Barton has has several setbacks in his life with his controversial tweets regarding women commenting on men’s football being his most recent. However, although he has been able to bounce back from all of them up until now, this could be the final straw for the ex-Newcastle & Manchester City midfielder. He’ll likely continue to attract an audience on social media with his views, but less likely to attract any new job offers from English league clubs, or commentary boxes.
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Give that man a laptop, tablet or even a phone with a gambling app, and it seems he just can’t resist using it to place a bet. Unfortunately for Joey, footballers aren’t allowed to do that, especially when they bet on their own team!
