Bristol Rovers manager Joey Barton has issued an apology to Scottish whistler Bobby Madden after he was shown a red card during defeat to Fleetwood Town.
However, all may not be as it seems after the former Rangers flop shared a snap of the former SPFL referees Wikipedia page as he appeared to express his regrets over the flashpoint. Barton was sent off by Madden in the 89th minute before Scott Brown 's Fleetwood scored a 99th minute leveller to earn a point in a compelling 2-2 draw at the Memorial Stadium.
Former Celtic skipper Brown will be the happier manager following his touchline reunion with his former Ibrox foe as his side remain 16th in the English League One table, one point ahead of Barton's Bristol Rovers and eight points clear of the relegation zone going into the World Cup break. Despite the fiery encounter, Barton appears to have walked back his complaints during the match.
The former Manchester City, Burnley and QPR midfielder posted to Twitter: "Regardless of how much you disagree with an official’s decision making, you shouldn’t swear at them. For that I apologise to yesterday’s match official, Robert Madden."
Barton also posted a screengrab of Madden's Wikipedia page alongside the apology, which noted his work as an official north of the border. The 43-year-old stepped down from his role with the SFA earlier this summer to take up a job with the English FA.
The decision to share the grab left many fans bemused, but some supporters felt they had cracked the code. One posted: "He's Scottish, as is Scott Brown."
Another added: "Scottish manager, big percentage of Scottish players, clubs nearly in Scotland no shocker that the Scottish referee gave everything their way and laughed at the full time whistle." Another reckons the Rangers and Celtic connection of the bosses could have played a part in the post adding: "It’s convenient that we end up with the ref that did 100s of Scottish PL games, and was often accused of being a Celtic fan when we’re up against a Celtic legend as their manager."
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