Barton involved in nightclub incident

Trouble-prone Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton has been involved in an altercation outside a nightclub in Liverpool.

Police were called and two men arrested following the incident in the early hours of Monday morning (local time).

Barton, 29, voluntarily left the scene, which took place outside the Garlands nightclub in the city’s centre.

“We have arrested two men following reports of a disturbance in Liverpool city centre in the early hours of this morning,” Merseyside Police said in a statement.

“Officers were called at 5.30am following reports of an altercation outside of a nightclub.

“On arrival they found a 29-year-old man who had sustained some injury to his face.

“The man left the scene voluntarily. Two 21-year-old men were arrested at the scene for a public order offence and they are currently in police custody.”

Barton is no stranger to controversy.

The former Newcastle United player received a 12-match ban from the Football Association following his sending off against Manchester City in the final match of the 2011/12 English Premier League season.

In May 2008 he was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to assault, and avoided previous jail terms after separate assaults on a fan and a team-mate in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

The later incident resulted in then-Manchester City colleague Ousmane Dabo suffering a detached retina.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/barton-involved-in-nightclub-incident/95832/

´Innocent´ Criscito hits back

Italy’s Domenico Criscito has vowed to clear his name after being implicated in the ‘Scommessopoli’ match-fixing scandal.

Police issued the defender with a warrant from the public prosecutor of Cremona to search his room at the Azzurri’s training base at Coverciano on Monday and he was subsequently withdrawn from Cesare Prandelli’s provisional squad for Euro 2012.

There is reportedly some suspicion surrounding the outcome of a game involving Criscito’s former club Genoa and Lazio, and photographs have emerged of the left-back meeting fans with fellow defender Giuseppe Sculli, who has also been implicated in the affair.

However, Criscito insists that there was nothing untoward about the gathering and has promised to prove his innocence at the earliest opportunity.

“I want to be heard in Cremona as soon as possible in order to clarify everything,” he told Il Corriere dello Sport.

“I have not got anything to do with this story. I was only speaking with Genoa supporters.”

Meanwhile, the player’s representative, Andrea D’Amico, is adamant that his client is not guilty of any wrongdoing.

“They (Sculli and Criscito) just went to a meeting with the fans after a derby loss,” the agent told Sky Sport Italia.

“He’s calm, even if surprised by all of this. But he’s an honest guy and a warrant is a tool for the protection of suspects, not a judgment of conviction. Too often this is forgotten in Italy.”

Meanwhile, Italian football federation (FIGC) vice-president Demetrio Albertini has given his backing to the Zenit defender.

“He was sorry for the repercussions on the national team and on the dressing room,” the former Italy midfielder told reporters after announcing that Criscito would not be travelling to Euro 2012.

“He explained some things to me, and I believe his version and in his innocence.”

Criscito, who has been capped 19 times by his country, joined Zenit from Genoa in 2011.geona

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/%c2%b4innocent%c2%b4-criscito-hits-back/95408/