Must-listen interview: Joey Barton tells talkSPORT it will be ‘hypocrisy’ from Liverpool if they sack Jon Flanagan
Joey Barton claims it will be “hypocritical” of Liverpool to sack Jon Flanagan and has launched an impassioned plea for the club and the wider football community to support and help the defender following his “stupid mistake”.
Flanagan was ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work and given a 12-month community order at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after he admitted assaulting his girlfriend in the early hours of December 22.
Liverpool have condemned his conduct in “the strongest possible terms”, claiming he has “severely let down the club”, and it has been suggested that they could terminate the 25-year-old’s conduct.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT on Thursday, Barton made it clear that he does not condone Flanagan's behaviour and his actions cannot be defended.
But the former Premier League midfielder insisted the Reds should rally behind their academy product, like they have done in the past with more high-profile stars.
Barton, who is a close friend and former teammate of Flanagan’s, told Jim White: “Luis Suarez bites another professional player, racially abuses another player, is charged and found guilty and is not sacked. Actually they wore T-shirts for him.
“Steven Gerrard, club captain, has a fight in Southport, is in court, etc, etc and is not sacked.
“Let’s look at Roberto Firmino recently. Three times over the drink-drive limit, driving a car, which is very, very dangerous and he is not sacked, he is supported by the club.
“To sack Jon Flanagan over a mistake would be down to the fact the boy is not in the first team plans and it is a financial-based commodity decision rather than a football decision because if it is a football decision, it is hypocrisy.”
Barton has had numerous run-ins with the law over the years and fallen foul of club bosses.
He insists Flanagan will be full of remorse over the incident, but should be given the chance to make amends.
He said: "Obviously there looks like there was alcohol involved and speaking from experience - from someone who has been in trouble multiple times - he has made a mistake. Is he the first footballer to make a mistake? Of course he is not.
“I know Jonno, I shared a car in with him, I know his family really well, I have been on holiday with him and, first and foremost, he is a fantastic human being. He is one of the best kids you will ever come across. He is hard-working, professional.
“I was surprised to see him out drinking. I know he will be incredibly disappointed with what has gone on and no doubt his family will be deeply disappointed in him. The court gave him 40 hours of community service etc, etc, as his punishment and justifiably so.
“The disappointment in him will hurt Jon a lot more and if there is ever going to be a remorseful kid, it will be Jon. Ask anybody at Liverpool Football Club or anybody that has worked with him, he is a fantastic kid.
“He has definitely done something wrong - there is no doubt about it. The process is how do you help Jon reintegrate.
“I am not making excuses for him, but he has had a couple of bad injuries, he has gone from being in Liverpool’s first team - the club he has come from the youth academy of - into the England set-up, suffered terrible injuries and it affects footballers.
“I’m not condoning his behaviour. Is it not right to strike out at anybody, especially a woman.
“He has been punished by the law of the land and Jon has got a lot of atoning to do but they should utilise him in a positive manner, use him as an example of how you rehabilitate somebody in that kind of scenario.
“I stepped out of line multiple times and have not been sacked and I’m not the first footballer. There is many, many, many of us.
“You forget they are young men. Jon is 25 and it is the first mistake he has made. I have never seen Jon in trouble before.
“He has made a grave error of judgement. He messed up. Does that make him a villain, should we ostracise him from the game? Of course not. We have got to help the kid."