Barton to serve ban in France

Joey Barton is set to miss nine Marseille matches after the French Football League transferred the ban he picked up in his final game for QPR.

The 12-match ban was initially imposed by the FA after the midfielder was found guilty of two counts of violent conduct for the incident that led to his sending off against Manchester City during the final game of last season.

The English Football Federation forwarded the suspension to their French equivalent and they used Article 12 of the Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players from FIFA, which means that the ban is applicable in a differing country.

Having already served three games of the ban while waiting for his loan move to go through, the new ruling will see Barton miss nine games in either Ligue 1 or the Coupe de la Ligue, although he could still play in the Europa League.

The 30-year-old could now make his debut for his new club on September 20, when the French outfit face Fenerbache in their Europa League opener.