Joey Barton has been discovered not guilty of assaulting then Barnsley supervisor Daniel Stendel.

Barton, now guilty of Bristol Rovers, was Fleetwood Town boss on the time of the incident at Oakwell in April 2019.

The worn Premier League footballer was cleared at Sheffield Crown Court of pushing over Stendel inside the tunnel on the pause of a match, leaving him bloodied and with a broken enamel.

When Barton gave proof closing week, the 39-year-frail denied it was him who shoved Stendel after a League One match between his Fleetwood group and the South Yorkshire aspect on April 13, 2019.

Mr Stendel instructed a jury how he was strolling down the tunnel inside the nook of Barnsley’s Oakwell Stadium after his aspect’s 4-2 victory when he was knocked over by a push from late, inflicting him to hit his face on the steel construction.

Video images confirmed but once more and but once more for the size of the trial confirmed Mr Stendel coming into the tunnel adopted by Barton, jogging, a second later.

The jury took under two hours to accumulate Barton not guilty of 1 depend of assault occasioning correct bodily injure following a week-long trial.

After leaving the court docket docket, Barton mentioned: “I deem the choice speaks for itself.” Requested how he felt, he mentioned: “Better than I did previous to.” He left the setting up together with his solicitor, who mentioned his consumer did not try to remark.

The 10-particular particular person jury heard how the incident inside the tunnel took place after a 2nd half of which featured tensions between the educating group of the two sides, with Fleetwood’s assistant supervisor, Clint Hill, receiving a yellow card.

Jurors had been confirmed cellular phone images of the handshake between the two managers on the pause of the match for the size of which, Mr Stendel instructed the jury, Barton was aggressive in opposition to him.

Barton admitted the utilization of “industrial language” for the size of the handshake, however denied he was aggressive, and mentioned there had not been tensions between the two managers for the size of the match.

He defined that he had most efficient tried to show to Mr Stendel that, inside the occasion that they did not modify their educating group, they will be personally in danger of immense fines from the league.

Barton recognized that, after the handshake, he had a delightful chat with a Barnsley participant about his time enjoying for the French group Marseille and likewise the referee, earlier to he headed for the tunnel.

He mentioned he started to traipse as a result of he wished to achieve into the dressing room earlier to his players. He mentioned the video images confirmed him weaving by the crowded tunnel in opposition to the stand.

Barton stood inside the dock for the selection carrying a depressed swimsuit over a white shirt with a depressed tie.

He was straight instructed he would possibly even go away the court docket docket by Preserve Jeremy Richardson QC.