The Football Association has claimed that the 18-month ban handed to Joey Barton was the "shortest possible sanction" they could give in the circumstances.
Barton accepted a misconduct charge of placing 1,260 bets over a 10-year period, including on his own team to lose, leading to a hefty suspension being passed down.
On top of the year-and-a-half hiatus, the Burnley midfielder was also given a £30,000 fine, but he felt that the punishment was excessive and announced in a statement that he would appeal the sanction.
The FA has now revealed the full extent of Barton's offence, however, and stated that "the shortest possible sanction to reflect the totality of his betting breaches was a suspension from football and footballing activity for a period of 18 months".
The report also concluded that Barton's gambling addiction "may have distorted his thinking in part, but it is not a complete answer for this continued conduct," while also making clear that the player's age was not a factor in the decision taken.
"He has enjoyed a full career. He has been breaching the betting Rules for a substantial part of that career," the report read. "Had he been apprehended and charged earlier, the result - almost certainly – would have been an immediate playing suspension (and all the consequences).
"He has avoided that and enjoyed the fruits. He cannot now pray in aid chronology to avoid a meaningful sanction."
Speaking for the first time since the punishment was passed down, Burnley boss Sean Dyche claimed that Barton had been hard done by.
Daniel Lewis
