Joey Barton trial: Former Rangers and England midfielder due to go on trial over alleged assault of ex-Hearts manager

The 38-year-old, who is currently manager of Bristol Rovers, is accused of pushing the then Barnsley manager, Daniel Stendel, at the South Yorkshire side’s Oakwell Stadium in April 2019, leaving the former Hearts boss with a damaged tooth.

Barton – who also had spells as a player with Manchester City, Newcastle United, Burnley and Marseille – was managing Fleetwood Town at the time of the alleged incident.

Barton was charged following an incident in the tunnel after the League One match between Barnsley and Fleetwood, which ended in a 4-2 victory for the home team.

He has pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Barton is due to go on trial later on Monday (June 7) at Sheffield Crown Court before the Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson QC.

Stendel served as manager of Hearts after taking over in December 2019, but left after the team was relegated during the 2020 covid-shortened season, at which point he was replaced by Robbie Neilson.

A message from the Editor:

Joey Barton arriving at Sheffield Crown Court where he is charged with causing actual bodily harm to the then Barnsley manager Daniel Stendel in April 2019.

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.