According to reports Joey Barton will not be punished for comparing Bristol Rovers’ poor performance against Newport County on Sat to the Holocaust.
Barton’s Rovers fell 3-1 to the opposition over the weekend. The former Newcastle and Manchester City midfielder was unable to play due to red card issues the week prior, and Trevor Clarke and Trevor Harries were not available for the match.
The manager has refused to apologise for his comments, despite sparking outrage from the National Holocaust Centre and Museum and the Jewish Labour Movement for his choice of words.
Joey Barton won’t face an FA sanction for comparing Bristol Rovers defending to the Holocaust over weekend
Barton used the term after Rovers’ defeat 3-1 to Newport County in a post-match interview
According to the Telegraph, the Football Association will not issue a sanction to Barton after reviewing the case. The comment does not violate their rules.
The 39-year old made the comment during an interview with Rovers’ official channel. After the original video was removed, the League Two club posted an edited version of the interview.
Barton said in his post-match interview, “The team is almost like musical chairs. Someone is successful, but then they are suspended or hurt.
“Someone enters for a game, does well, but then has a Holocaust. This is a nightmare. It’s an absolute disaster.
Barton has not apologized for using the term, and Bristol Rovers has not commented on it
National Holocaust Centre trustee and Museum trustee Dame Helen Hyde lambasted Barton’s comments. She claimed that the 39 year-old needs to be educated regarding the Holocaust and the meaning.
She stated that she did not believe Mr Barton understands the meaning of the word and was shocked at the offence and sadness he caused. “I would suggest that he be encouraged to learn more about these tragic events.
Meanwhile, the Bristol Holocaust Memorial Day Steering Group added: ‘To compare the poor performance of a player or team to a Holocaust shows a lack of understanding of the true barbarism, torture and evil that was inflicted on vulnerable groups in society.
“As one the two professional football clubs that represents the city, it is disappointing that neither Joey Barton nor the football club have issued an unambiguous apology.”
The comments urged the former footballer of 39 years (above), to resign.
Fabian Breckels, a Bristol councillor described Barton’s reference to him as ‘appalling’. He called on Rovers boss Mark Barton to ‘consider his future’ as Rovers manager.
This is not the first time that a reference to the Holocaust has been made when discussing a football team’s poor performance here in England.
Brian Laws, Scunthorpe United manager, apologized in November 2012 after claiming that his side’s defense in a 4-0 defeat to Doncaster was ‘as terrible as the Holocaust’.
Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany caused the Holocaust, which saw 6 million Jews killed in the Second World War. This was approximately two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population between 1941 and 1945.