Barton arrested for assault
Tuesday, 13 Mar 2007 12:33
Barton is never far away from controversy
Manchester City and England player Joey Barton has been arrested for assault and criminal damage.
A Merseyside police spokeswoman confirmed that a 24-year-old man from Cronton, near Widnes, was arrested after a police report of an assault on a taxi driver.
The incident occurred on Edge Lane in the Wavertree area of Liverpool in the early hours of Sunday March 4th.
On the Saturday afternoon, Manchester City had lost 1-0 to rivals Wigan Athletic at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Barton has been bailed until May pending further inquiries.
The midfielder made his international debut last month in a friendly against Spain but has endured a difficult time with his club side recently, amid a growing threat of relegation.
City are currently fourth from bottom in the Premiership and just six points above the drop-zone, although they have two games in hand over the teams around them.
This has not eased the fears of fans however, some of whom have been calling for manager Stuart Pearce to be sacked after a run of poor form.
Barton himself could also face charges from the Football Association over allegations that he dropped his shorts in the direction of fans after Sunday's 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Blackburn Rovers.