Burnley midfielder Joey Barton

London: Burnley's Joey Barton said he had effectively been forced into "early retirement" after being banned for 18 months over betting offences by England's Football Association yesterday.

Barton, 34, admitted a charge relating to 1,260 bets he placed on football matches over a 10-year period between 2006 and 2016. But he blamed his addiction to gambling and said he would appeal against the length of the ban.