RANGERS LENGTHEN THE BAN ON BARTON

Joey Barton was initially exiled by Rangers after an exchange of words with Andy Halliday following the hammering at Celtic Park, with manager Mark Warburton also reportedly involved.


The midfielder was weeks later charged to court by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) for allegedly breaking betting rules.

The SFA, who have a strong no-betting policy on football games across the globe, unveiled a statement on Wednesday 5th which confirmed that a notice of complaint had been raised against the 34-year old midfielder.

The former Manchester City and Burnley midfielder, who joined the Scotland team Rangers on a two-year deal in May, is said to have staked 44 bets on football matches between July 1st and September 15th this year. It was reported that Barton bet on Brendan Rodgers' side, who were defeated 7-0, to lose by at least three goals.

In the light of this and due to a training-ground incident involving manager Mark Warburton and team-mate Andy Halliday, the 34-year old was given a three-week ban though he is expected to resume full training in few days.

Barton's club-imposed suspension has been lengthened by a week by Rangers. He was expected to resume training on Monday 10th of October at the end of a three-week ban by the Scottish Premiership side for disciplinary reasons in the wake of a much-publicized row with a team-mate in the aftermath of their 5-1 thrashing by Celtic.

Rangers declared in a statement on Sunday 9th:

"Joey Barton has been informed that his suspension by the club has been extended by one more week. This is part of a formal disciplinary procedure and Joey has been instructed not to return to Ibrox or Auchenhowie until further notice. Neither the club nor Barton will make any further statement or comment."