Newcastle's Barton Could Face Lengthy Ban After Fa Charge Over Dabo Assault

The Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association following his assault on Ousmane Dabo 15 months ago. The 25-year-old was given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, on July 1 after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm on his former Manchester City team-mate during a training session in May last year.

The new charge from the FA comes as a result of that hearing at Manchester crown court after football's governing body received all the relevant documentation from the case. Barton has until August 13 to respond to the charge. There is no maximum sentence which could be issued to Barton by the FA and, given the severity of the attack on Dabo. a lengthy ban and possible fine would be the likely outcome were he found culpable.

The case will be heard by an independent regulatory commission on an as yet unspecified date. It is understood that the FA will strongly contest any claim by Barton that further punishment for the offense would be a case of 'double jeopardy', given that an employee in any industry would expect to suffer professionally for a criminal offense committed at work.

The midfielder was released from Strange ways prison in Manchester on Monday after serving less than three months of a six-month sentence for a separate charge of assault.