Baup: Barton must take responsibility

Marseille head coach Elie Baup says Joey Barton needs to be accountable for his actions after the midfielder abused Thiago Silva.

Barton, on-loan at Marseille from Queens Park Rangers, labelled Silva an ‘overweight ladyboy’ on his Twitter page following Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-2 draw with Barcelona in the Champions League.

Marseille have apologised for their player’s remarks ahead of their Ligue 1 meeting with Bordeaux on Friday but PSG could be set to take legal action against Barton.

“I’m not responding to this. I’m not going to judge these things. But every player has to be accountable for what they do after they leave the training ground,” Baup said.

Despite condemning his comments, Baup said Barton’s potential selection for Friday’s game would not be influenced by the incident.

“Like I said before, he has an important role in the team. I make the decisions. I decided not to start him at Nice,” he said.

“I will have another decision to make against Bordeaux. This is my responsibility. But the rest, beyond football itself within the club, is not my responsibility.”

Marseille occupy second place on the table, seven points back from PSG and one ahead of third-placed Lyon, with automatic Champions League qualification the prize on offer for a top-two finish.

“The final sprint will start in the five or six last games. But before that, we have important games to play, against some direct opponents,” Baup said.

“Clubs like Nice, Bordeaux or Lille. All the games ahead are important before the final sprint.”