Barton will now be ruled out until October the 25th 2008 at the earliest after admitted to a charge of violent conduct back in August on former team-mate Ousmane Dabo. 

The FA released the following statement after the panel took just 2 hours to reach their verdict:

"Much has been written about Mr Barton over recent months. The Regulatory Commission had the benefit of taking all appropriate information into consideration. The Commission members considered principally the serious attack by Mr Barton that clearly cannot be accepted.

The members also had to take into consideration the sanctions imposed by the courts and the pro-active support Mr Barton has received from Newcastle United FC and other professional bodies.

The Commission members wanted to punish the offence appropriately but give Mr Barton an opportunity to ensure his professional conduct does not falter again and ensure he is fully aware of the consequences should he make another serious error of judgement."

Barton has two weeks to appeal the ruling.

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

Related Articles:

• Did Ashley Bottle It?

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS