FA’s dismissal of Joey Barton appeal is farcical – Neil Warnock

Neil Warnock has described the Football Association’s decision to reject Joey Barton’s appeal against his red card in Queens Park Rangers’ 2-1 defeat by Norwich City as “farcical”.

The controversial midfielder, who will serve a three-game ban, received his marching orders from referee Neil Swarbrick after consultation with his linesman for an off-the-ball incident involving the QPR captain and Bradley Johnson.

Warnock was furious that Fulham’s Clint Dempsey escaped a sending off at the start of December for an offence which the QPR boss deemed worse than the altercation between Barton and Johnson, before claiming that officials are easily influenced by players.

“When you see what Clint Dempsey did in comparison to Joey Barton it’s farcical isn’t it?” said Warnock.

“I just think they get influenced. If you look at Grant Holt straight after, he’s in the linesman’s ear before he’s even flagged and telling him what to do.

“And ironically once the red card is shown you see Holt saying to the referee that he can’t send Barton off. If they’re influenced, they’re influenced.

“You can’t tell me another violent conduct offence that a linesman has seen but not flagged immediately. I don’t think there has ever been one and there will never be one.

“There’s not even a report from the linesman who has seen this alleged incident. There’s not even a report that goes into the commission. There is just two lines from the referee saying his linesman told him Barton put his head forward on the player. It’s just absolutely farcical.”

Retired referees Dermot Gallagher and Graham Poll both agreed that Warnock had a right to feel aggrieved over Barton’s sending off.

“When you get people like Graham Poll, not my biggest fan, supporting what I’m saying and people like Dermot Gallagher, and then the three people on the commission go against that I just think it’s scandalous,” said Warnock.

“I’m not surprised Frank Lampard commits a horrendous challenge [against Wolves] and Peter Walton gives him a yellow card. If that had been Joey Barton or Karl Henry would that have been a yellow card or a red card? They would have been lynching for them.”