Former soccer player Joey Barton convicted of offensive social media posts

By: The Associated Press Posted: 11:05 AM CST Friday, Nov. 7, 2025

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Former Premier League soccer player Joey Barton was convicted of sending grossly offensive social media posts about two female pundits and a broadcaster who works on British television.

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This article was published 07/11/2025 (333 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A jury at Liverpool Crown Court found the 43-year-old Barton “crossed the line between free speech and a crime” in six posts he made on X about Lucy Ward and Eni Aluko, who are both former players, and TV presenter Jeremy Vine.

Barton was cleared of six other counts that he sent a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety from January to March 2024.

Barton was a midfielder for Manchester City, Newcastle, Queens Park Rangers and Burnley. He retired in 2017 and has since had managerial spells with lower-league teams Fleetwood Town and Bristol Rovers.

He is now a social commentator with 2.7 million followers on X.

Barton was bailed ahead of sentencing on Dec. 8.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer