Britain Football Soccer - Middlesbrough v Burnley - Premier League - The Riverside Stadium - 8/4/17 Burnley's Joey Barton reacts Reuters / Scott Heppell
(Reuters) - Burnley midfielder Joey Barton's 18-month ban from football was the "shortest possible sanction" for his betting offences, the English Football Association has said.
Barton, who was charged with placing 1,260 bets on football matches or competitions from March 2006 to May 2016, said that he will appeal the length of the ban as it "effectively forces me into an early retirement".
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