JOEY Barton last night received the support of the Professional Footballers' Association after being hit with an 18-month ban from all footballing activity for a breach of the FA's betting rules which he admitted could all but end his career.

The 34-year-old former Rangers midfielder, who re-signed with his former club Burnley this January after a controversial spell at Ibrox which lasted just eight matches, was also fined £30,000 and warned to his future conduct after admitting a rule breach in relation to 1,260 bets placed on football, at an average stake of £150, including a number which were against his own team.

Somewhat typically, he announced his intention to appeal against a sanction which he feels is excessively harsh with a lengthy statement which included full disclosure of what he called his "30 most pertinent bets in the eyes of the FA".

Read more: Neil Cameron: Football will be well rid of Joey Barton who even now can't accept he's totally in the wrongThe Herald:

"I have never placed a bet against my own team when in a position to influence the game, and I am pleased that in all of the interviews with the FA, and at the hearing, my integrity on that point has never been in question," read Barton's statement. "A ban of 18 months is longer than several bans handed to players who played in matches where they bet for their team to lose and – unlike me – were found to have had an ability to influence the games ... I feel the ban is excessive in this context."

Two Scottish examples which provide context in this regard are that of Rangers midfielder Ian Black, who was banned for three matches - with another seven suspended - after bets which included £5 on an accumulator which needed the Ibrox side to draw 2-2 with East Stirling, even though he actually scored in Rangers' 4-2 win. Only this week Dean Brett has returned from his ban, as a Bonnyrigg Rose player, having been sacked by Cowdenbeath for betting against his team in five matches in which he participated.

While both the SFA and PFA Scotland were reluctant to comment on what they regard as an English matter - Barton was previously given a one-match ban for breaking SFA rules on gambling by placing 44 bets between 1 July and 15 September 2016 while he was a player at Ibrox - the PFA south of the border pointedly mentioned the need that sanctions for players to be "proportionate".

"The PFA fully understands the need to protect the integrity of the game and recognises the importance of educating players about the risks posed by betting and match fixing," the statement read. "However, sanctions for breaches must always be proportionate .... we hope that when the matter is finally determined that sufficient weight is given to the sanctions handed down in other cases of a similar nature."

Read more: Neil Cameron: Football will be well rid of Joey Barton who even now can't accept he's totally in the wrong

Barton's statement also took football in general aside for such draconian punishments considering its reliance on gambling for sponsorship - "if the FA is truly serious about tackling the culture of gambling in football, it needs to look at its own dependence on the gambling companies, their role in football and in sports broadcasting, rather than just blaming the players who place a bet," he said - but, speaking to the Herald last month, the outgoing SPFL chairman Ralph Topping - formerly CEO of William Hill - was unrepentant.

"You don't blame the dairy for getting fat," Topping has said. "It is black and white, I always go back to black and white. There is a rule in place. Seven years in this job, I have never had a bet on football. And I like a bet on football. So the rule has forced me to sit down and watch horse racing - and waste my money on that instead."