Joey Barton: Fleetwood boss avoids FA punishment after describing officiating as a 'disgrace'
Wednesday 12 February 2020 12:37, UK
The Football Association will take no action against Joey Barton after the Fleetwood manager described the standard of officiating as a "disgrace" following his sending-off against Wycombe.
Barton, who was dismissed in stoppage time, questioned referee Kevin Johnson's display after his side beat Wycombe 1-0 at Adams Park in League One on Tuesday.
Ched Evans was also earlier shown a red card for an elbow on Jason McCarthy, before Paddy Madden sealed victory for the 10-man visitors in the 75th minute.
"I want to focus on a great win, it is a fantastic win for our group," Barton told Sky Sports.
"I refuse to talk about [the standard of refereeing] because it was a disgrace in my opinion.
"I will only get fined and punished by the FA because that is the way the cookie crumbles when things like that happen."
Barton described Evans' sending off as "harsh" and said the club would review footage before considering an appeal as he continued to vent his frustration at the standard of the match officials.
He added: "The fourth official says he heard me say something. That is hotly disputed so that will be for us to play out in front of the FA.
"I think he has made an error. It wasn't his first of the night, the fourth official. So, we have to get used to that."
Fleetwood sit two points outside of the play-off spots after their win at Wycombe extended their unbeaten run to six matches.
