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QPR's Joey Barton blasts the FA over match prediction warning, claiming they are 'out of touch with reality'
Governing body sent a letter to the controversial midfielder, demanding he didn't post his 'insider information' on twitter after guessing the results of Sunday's fixtures
26 Jan 2012 16:22:00
by Nathan Lowe
Getty Images
QPR midfielder Joey Barton revealed on Thursday that The FA are not tolerating players giving predictions to football matches, fearing the "inside information" is used by bettors.
The 29-year-old correctly forecasted victories for both Manchester sides on Sunday when City downed Tottenham and United defeated Arsenal.
However, the FA warned Barton for posting his guesses to over a million Twitter followers, something the former Newcastle United man wasn't amused by.
"Just received my weekly warning letter from FA headquarters, this time regarding me tweeting about predicting the weekend's Manchester double," he wrote on his official account.
"According to the FA, I am not allowed to give my opinion of possible results in case that is seen as insider information. These people are so out of touch with reality it's untrue.
"What difference does my opinion of the outcome of a match have on the result? None."
The letter sent by the FA stated: "You should be aware that the passing of information would not just be by word of mouth - the rule applies equally to emails or social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter)."
Barton blasted the organisation as being "Orwellian", stating that the warning letter went "[sic] right in the bin."
The 29-year-old correctly forecasted victories for both Manchester sides on Sunday when City downed Tottenham and United defeated Arsenal.
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However, the FA warned Barton for posting his guesses to over a million Twitter followers, something the former Newcastle United man wasn't amused by.
"Just received my weekly warning letter from FA headquarters, this time regarding me tweeting about predicting the weekend's Manchester double," he wrote on his official account.
"According to the FA, I am not allowed to give my opinion of possible results in case that is seen as insider information. These people are so out of touch with reality it's untrue.
"What difference does my opinion of the outcome of a match have on the result? None."
The letter sent by the FA stated: "You should be aware that the passing of information would not just be by word of mouth - the rule applies equally to emails or social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter)."
Barton blasted the organisation as being "Orwellian", stating that the warning letter went "[sic] right in the bin."
| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
| Sign up with Paddy Power - Bet £10, Get £20! |
|
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