City star Barry hit with one-game ban

Published December 14, 2012

gareth barry, manchester city, manchester united, manchester derby
Manchester City's Gareth Barry, right, takes the ball from Manchester United's Robin van Persie. -Photo by AP

LONDON: Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry was given a one-match ban on Thursday after a foul-mouthed rant at an official following last weekend's explosive Manchester derby.

Barry, 31, accepted the FA's charge that he used abusive and/or insulting language in the aftermath of City's 3-2 defeat against bitter rivals Manchester United at Eastlands and the England star will miss his club's trip to Newcastle on Saturday.

“Manchester City's Gareth Barry will serve a one-match suspension with immediate effect after admitting a breach of FA Rule E3 in that he used abusive and/or insulting words towards a match official following his side's match against Manchester United on Sunday 9 December 2012,” an FA's statement read.

“Also as part of the standard penalty for this offence, Barry has been fined #8,000 (9,855 euros.”Barry is believed to have been angry that referee Martin Atkinson gave United a free-kick for Carlos Tevez's challenge on Rafael da Silva, an incident which allowed Robin van Persie to fire in the stoppage-time winner from the set-piece.

It has been reported that the target for Barry's tirade was fourth official Mark Clattenburg, who was recently cleared of allegations that he racially abused Chelsea's Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel during a match against Manchester United.

In posting the FA's statement on their website City said “both the club and Gareth Barry reluctantly accept the punishment which leads to Gareth being unavailable to take part in the weekend's match against Newcastle.”

Barry's absence is another blow to City manager Roberto Mancini as his spluttering side try to keep in touch with league leaders United, who opened up a six-point gap at the top with their victory at Eastlands.

Former Aston Villa midfielder Barry will next be available for selection for City's league game against Reading on December 22.

Opinion

Editorial

Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.
Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....