BARTON SET FOR DEBUT

The assistant coach of Olympique de Marseille, Franck Passi, has said that Joey Barton might play his first match for Marseille against Fenerbahce in the Europa League. That match is going to be played on 20th September. Barton has signed a 1 year loan deal with Marseille this summer. Barton is a contracted player of QPR but can’t play for them becasue the FA have banned him for 12 matches due to his violent behaviour in a match against Manchester City in the last season. (Man City news wanted it to be more like a 12 month ban!)

Barton has also received a warning from the club that his contract would be terminated if his behaviour is found to be violent again in the future. According to the transfer rules of FIFA, Barton can’t play in the Ligue 1 matches in France at the moment, but, the ban doesn’t stop him from playing in Europe. So, he is expected to play against Fenerbahce.

Franck Passi said that Barton has been out of the game since the last two months. He hasn’t trained enough in the last few days. So, he might not be ready to play in the entire match, but, he could be sent on the field as a substitute in the later part of the match against Fenerbahce. As per Passi, Barton is technically very good. He has got great skills and he would not take too much time to get back in form. His inclusion would definitely prove to be beneficial for the club.
On being asked whether Barton’s inclusion in the team would be helpful for the young players, Passi answered positively.

He said that Barton has the experience of playing in different conditions and he can definitely help the young players in developing their game. As per Passi, the club has a lot of expectations from Barton in the ongoing season and hopefully, he would deliver for the club.