Words-not-wrapped protective Joey Bartonas named London's forward Gervinho a "cheater."
An incident between the two footballers occurred during Saturday's English championship match, which ended 0-0. In the second half, Gervinho entered the penalty area and fell after possible contact with opponent defender Cheick Tiote.
Barton, noticing the simulation, quickly ran up to Gervinho and unfriendly forced him to stand up, and the "Arsenal" newcomer hit his opponent in the face when the conflict arose. The referee removed the capital team player from the field for this unauthorized action.
"Everyone hates cheaters," Barton wrote on Twitter. "It was an audacious cheat. What do you want me to do in this situation? Hit back? If there is a raised hand and a hit to the opponent, the player must be removed from the field. The referee acted correctly.
All summer I work hard, and he wants to take away the deserved points by cheating. There should be a three-game ban for simulation. Football must be respected."
Meanwhile, "Arsenal" manager Arsene Wenger had a different opinion: "I don't understand the decision to send off Gervinho from the field. I'm sure the referee didn't even see what happened because he turned around.
Why did Barton run up and grab him? Both should have been shown a yellow card, or a red card. Will we appeal? We have to think about it, but for now, it seems like that."