Joey Barton gets 4 months, suspended

MANCHESTER, England, July 1 (UPI) -- English soccer player Joey Barton was given a four-month suspended sentence for attacking Ousmane Dabo when both were playing for Manchester City.

Newcastle United, Barton's current team, said in a statement on its Web site that executives will discuss the player's future with him.

On Monday, Barton, who is close to finishing a six-month term for another assault, pleaded guilty to an attack with actual bodily harm, the BBC reported. Judge Mushtaq Khokhar also ordered Barton to perform 200 hours of community service and to pay Dabo 3,000 pounds ($6,000) compensation.

"As a professional footballer you are someone who is talented and greatly idolized by young and old alike whether you are playing at Manchester City and now at Newcastle United," Khokhar said. "You are constantly in the public eye. You have a high profile, there would be instances of provocations ... being an idol brings with it responsibilities which you have to carry with you all the time."