Footballing news

Footballer Joey Barton arrived at court yesterday to answer a traffic charge by parking on a grass verge next to double yellow lines.

The Newcastle United star turned up in an Aston Martin DBS Vantage, worth £170,000 - and parked his car on a verge outside the front doors of Bedlington Magistrates' Court.

Barton's car was caught by a speed camera travelling at 39mph in a 30mph zone, on the A69 in Northumberland, near Haydon Bridge, on 15 December last year.

Barton told the court he could not recall what happened that night, but did not believe he was driving

Needless to say, the magistrates decided there was no case to answer, and let him off.

It’s interesting to learn that

All professional footballers have it written into their contracts that they are not allowed to take part in any activity deemed to be a risk to their ability to play football.

Which apparently means you mustn’t ride a motorbike but it’s perfectly okay to drive a fast car and clock up speeding convictions.