Joey Barton cleared of assault charge over tunnel incident after Barnsley-Fleetwood match

When the Bristol Rovers manager gave evidence last week, Barton, 39, denied it was him who shoved then-Barnsley manager Daniel Stendel in the tunnel after a League One match between his Fleetwood team and the South Yorkshire side at Oakwell on April 13, 2019.

Mr Stendel told jurors how he was walking down the tunnel in the corner of the ground after his side’s 4-2 victory when he was knocked over by a push from behind, causing him to hit his face on the metal structure.

Video footage played repeatedly during the trial showed Mr Stendel entering the tunnel followed by Barton, jogging, a moment later.

The jury took under two hours to find Barton not guilty of one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a week-long trial.