Newcastle United bad-boy Joey Barton has branded Arsenal striker Gervinho a "cheat" after Saturday's heated 0-0 draw at St James' Park.
Barton was livid with the Ivory Coast international after he had fallen in the penalty area under a challenge from Cheick Tioté.
Gervinho reacted by slapping his opponent on the head, but Barton's response sparked a melee.
He then hit the deck after a slap from Gervinho that saw the former Lille attacker sent off for violent conduct on his Premier League debut.
But Barton, who was also stamped on by Alex Song in the match, last night defended his actions on Twitter, insisting it was Gervinho who had been guilty of cheating.
The 28-year-old tweeted: "Maybe I shouldnt of got involved but diving and trying to win a penalty, is sh*t. Needs stamping out (No pun).
"What do people want me to do, stand and trade blows with Gervinho. If u raise ur hands to players faces, u should beoff. Ref got it right...
"Hate CHEATS that dive to win pens. If theres contact go down but dont blatantly try to con the ref. Refs have it hard enough.
"Cant raise ur hands, end of. What do i have to gain by standing and trading with him. NOWT.
"If he dosent dive then incident dosent happen. I shouldnt of got involved given but... I train all summer to have him cheat us out of hard earned point. Its not on. Diving should be 3 game ban. Respect the game.
"If i stayed up or went down its not relevant, raises his hands off. I was merely highlighting he struck me.
"Standing and defending urself has only got me in trouble before. What u want me to do, hit him back? Or hope refs keeps him on.
"My job is to do the best for my team, not to keep Gervinho on the pitch. Theres more to football than kicking a ball.
"Merely called out a fellow professional for blatantly cheating, everyone hates cheats. Referees have it tough enough....."
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| Gervinho confronts Joey Barton shortly before being shown the red card by the referee Photo: Getty Images |
Barton was livid with the Ivory Coast international after he had fallen in the penalty area under a challenge from Cheick Tioté.
The Toon midfielder dragged Gervinho to his feet as Arsenal's penalty claims were waved away.
Gervinho reacted by slapping his opponent on the head, but Barton's response sparked a melee.
He then hit the deck after a slap from Gervinho that saw the former Lille attacker sent off for violent conduct on his Premier League debut.
But Barton, who was also stamped on by Alex Song in the match, last night defended his actions on Twitter, insisting it was Gervinho who had been guilty of cheating.
The 28-year-old tweeted: "Maybe I shouldnt of got involved but diving and trying to win a penalty, is sh*t. Needs stamping out (No pun).
"What do people want me to do, stand and trade blows with Gervinho. If u raise ur hands to players faces, u should beoff. Ref got it right...
"Hate CHEATS that dive to win pens. If theres contact go down but dont blatantly try to con the ref. Refs have it hard enough.
"Cant raise ur hands, end of. What do i have to gain by standing and trading with him. NOWT.
"If he dosent dive then incident dosent happen. I shouldnt of got involved given but... I train all summer to have him cheat us out of hard earned point. Its not on. Diving should be 3 game ban. Respect the game.
"If i stayed up or went down its not relevant, raises his hands off. I was merely highlighting he struck me.
"Standing and defending urself has only got me in trouble before. What u want me to do, hit him back? Or hope refs keeps him on.
"My job is to do the best for my team, not to keep Gervinho on the pitch. Theres more to football than kicking a ball.
"Merely called out a fellow professional for blatantly cheating, everyone hates cheats. Referees have it tough enough....."
Related links:
Team
Personal
Also see:
