Source: Team_Talk
Barton gives views on behaviour
Joey Barton believes England's rugby players have got off lightly after their World Cup antics and has also criticised Ryan Giggs' behaviour.[LNB] Barton claims there would have been "public executions" had the England football team behaved like their rugby union counterparts at the World Cup.[LNB]England's dismal campaign in New Zealand lurched from one controversy to another before and after their quarter-final exit, with players criticised for their off-field behaviour during the tournament.[LNB]Outspoken QPR captain Barton, who has one international cap, told the Professional Players Federation national conference on Monday afternoon: "If that was an England football team at a World Cup, there would probably have been public executions when they got home.[LNB]"'Football's a gentleman's game played by thugs', I hear quite a lot, and, 'rugby's a thug's game played by gentlemen'.[LNB]"The minute a footballer steps out of line, I think the media in this country - because of the sums of money they earn and also because of the stigma attached - are really quick to jump on it."[LNB]Barton also took issue with footballers' status as role models.[LNB]"There is a lot of envy about what footballers earn, the astronomical figures," he said. "That's not our fault.[LNB]"I went from being on £300 a week playing in a big league to £6,500 a week.[LNB]"No-one taught me how to handle that, no-one taught me how to be a man, I didn't instantly get that wage increase and become a role model.[LNB]"I was still the same kid from a working-class council estate."[LNB]However, despite criticising media intrusion into players' private lives, Barton hit out at the behaviour of England captain John Terry and Manchester United star Giggs in their private lives.[LNB]He said of the latter: "The Giggs issue in any walk of life is not right, the behaviour of the man towards another man, towards his brother.[LNB]"It's not right."
