Joey Barton has been charged following a fight at a golf club.
Merseyside Police confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that Barton, 43, and Gary O’Grady, 50, have been charged following an alleged assault in Huyton on Sunday night.
It comes after Daily Mail Sport exclusively revealed that former Manchester City and Newcastle United midfielder Barton, 43, was one of the men allegedly involved in an altercation close to Huyton and Prescot Golf Club, in Merseyside.
Emergency services were called to the facility on Sunday night following reports of an assault. One man was taken to hospital for assessment of injuries to his face and ribs.
Married father-of-two Kevin Lynch, 51, is said to have been attacked by the ex-Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers midfielder at Huyton and Prescot Golf Club, in Liverpool.
Barton, 43, appeared in court this afternoon where he was denied bail and was remanded in custody for a month.
It is understood that an argument started inside the clubhouse. There is a suggestion that a weapon was subsequently produced from outside the building.
In a statement, Merseyside Police said: ‘We can confirm that two men have been charged following an assault in Huyton on Sunday night, 8 March.
‘At around 9pm, emergency services were called to Fairway to reports of a man having been assaulted near to Huyton and Prescot Golf Club.
‘The victim was taken to hospital for assessment of serious injuries to his face and body. He is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
‘Both men remain in custody to appear at Wirral Magistrates Court this afternoon, Tuesday 10 March.’
On Tuesday morning it was revealed that the alleged victim was found on the floor covered in blood following the alleged incident.
At a High Court hearing on Tuesday over a libel claim involving Barton, Gervase de Wilde, representing ex-England footballer Eni Aluko, said his instructing solicitor had ‘received a call from a duty solicitor in a police station in Liverpool’ shortly before the hearing.
Mr de Wilde told the court that Barton, a former Manchester City and QPR midfielder, ‘was arrested yesterday and is currently being held in custody’.
Barton, 43, won one cap for England during a professional career in which he played for City, Newcastle, QPR, Marseille, Burnley and Rangers before embarking on a career in management after retiring in 2017.
His first role in the dugout came in 2018, where he enjoyed a three-year stint at Fleetwood Town, leaving the club in 10th position in League One before moving onto Bristol Rovers in February 2021.
After two years with the League Two club, he was dismissed at the start of the 2023-24 season following a disappointing start to the campaign.
Barton has not returned to management since the Rovers job and has launched his own podcast, Common Sense with Joey Barton.
The 43-year-old has faced a string of legal issues during his football career and since retiring, including criminal damage and communications offences.
