Newcastle pay Joey Barton £675,000 a year for image rights

[Jimbo 133]

The extent of Newcastle United's disastrous management in recent seasons can be exposed by The Sunday Telegraph with the revelation that the club is still paying their notorious midfielder, Joey Barton, £675,000 per year for his image rights.

 

By Duncan White

Published: 12:00AM BST 14 Jun 2009

 

Joey Barton leaves court after admitting assault and affray in May 2008 Photo: PA

Newcastle are desperate to reduce their wage bill and this weekend owner Mike Ashley has been in discussions to sell the club for £100 million.

 

But prospective buyers will be concerned that Barton, who spent 11 weeks in prison last summer for common assault and affray, has the highest "image rights" deal at the club according to a well-placed source.

 

City had been close to sacking him in 2004 after he accidentally stubbed out a cigar in the eye of a youth team player Jamie Tandy at their Christmas party and in 2005 he was sent home from a summer tour of Thailand after a fight with a 15-year-old Everton fan. For his attack on Dabo in May 2007, which left the Frenchman heavily bruised and with a suspected detached retina, Barton received a four-month suspended sentence. He signed for Newcastle the month after the assault, just days before Ashley took over complete control at St James' Park.

 

Last December he was arrested outside a McDonald's restaurant in Liverpool and subsequently sentenced to six months in prison for common assault and affray. During the 11 weeks he served in prison Barton would have earned £143,000 for his image rights on his contractual terms. The club did, however, fine him for his misdemeanours.

 

This season, having recovered from injury to help Newcastle's failed efforts to avoid relegation, he was rashly sent off in a crucial game with Liverpool and had to be restrained in a post-match confrontation with interim manager Alan Shearer. The club explored the possibility of sacking him for his actions but are now desperately trying to find a buyer for a player whose total earnings come to nearly £65,000 per week.

 

With Michael Owen at the end of his contract, Barton's image rights payments – which work out at roughly £13,000 a week – are believed to be at least £200,000 higher than those of his best paid team-mates. While most high profile players receive just over 10 per cent of their basic salary, Barton, whose contract runs until 2012, is paid just over 20 per cent.

 

When a player signs for a club he has two options. Either he seeks to profit from selling his own image rights, or he lets the club use his image in exch­ange for an annual payment. This payment goes into the player's 'image company', many of which are based offshore. Almost all players opt for the latter.

[duo 0]

Madness.

[Kitman 2188]

There's more to this than meets the eye. The use of image rights in sport is a standard way of saving tax for football clubs. Arsenal were amongst the first to use it. iirc the main saving is national insurance and the player gets a tax deferral till the image rights company pays them. So I take this as a bit of shit stirring tbh

[peasepud 59]

In seriousness, why the fuck would any club in their right mind pay Barton image rights? what advertising is he going to be doing?

 

Although second thoughts I see it now, young player has argument with Barton,

 

camera pans to Joey who shrugs turns away and lights up a cigar... *Hamlet music starts*

 

then he stubs it out in his eye

 

 

hmmmm not sure

[Ally 0]

Sounds like bollocks. David Beckham gets image rights, but I doubt there's a fan in the stadium with Barton 7 on the back of the shirt.

[Marko 0]

Sounds like bollocks. David Beckham gets image rights, but I doubt there's a fan in the stadium with Barton 7 on the back of the shirt.

 

I've seen Barton 666 a few times.

[MaineRoadMemories 0]

the sooner you sack him for gross misconduct the better. He'll bring you nothing but trouble in and out of the dressing room.

[nufc4ever 0]

There's more to this than meets the eye. The use of image rights in sport is a standard way of saving tax for football clubs. Arsenal were amongst the first to use it. iirc the main saving is national insurance and the player gets a tax deferral till the image rights company pays them. So I take this as a bit of shit stirring tbh

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...s.html?ITO=1490

Bad boy Barton facing taxman probe over Magpies image rights

 

By Sportsmail Reporter

Last updated at 8:46 PM on 14th June 2009

 

* Comments (0)

* Add to My Stories

 

Joey Barton could face an investigation from the taxman after it was revealed he is earning around £675,000 in image rights at Newcastle United.

 

Newcastle’s attempts to offload the bad boy are being hampered further by the revelation that the controversial midfielder is paid the additional sum on top of his £80,000-a-week wages.

 

The taxman is now expected to seek an explanation to justify the extra payment for ‘image rights’ at a reduced tax rate, which is 31 per cent if the total earnings are more than £300,000 and at 20 per cent under that amount.

 

If officials believe there is little evidence that Barton’s image has been used by the club to generate additional income, he could face a bill of around £300,000.

 

The relegated club are still desperate to sell Barton following a series of publicised run-ins with the law and his managers since he arrived from Manchester City two years ago.

 

Barton is adamant he wants to stay and complete the remaining three years of his contract but Newcastle want him off their wage bill.

 

He has one of the most lucrative image-rights clauses in the country, and that could put off prospective buyers, if there are any.

 

[Tom 13883]

Newcastle’s attempts to offload the bad boy are being hampered further by the revelation that the controversial midfielder is paid the additional sum on top of his £80,000-a-week wages.

 

Yay fiction!

[Kitman 2188]

There's more to this than meets the eye. The use of image rights in sport is a standard way of saving tax for football clubs. Arsenal were amongst the first to use it. iirc the main saving is national insurance and the player gets a tax deferral till the image rights company pays them. So I take this as a bit of shit stirring tbh

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...s.html?ITO=1490

Bad boy Barton facing taxman probe over Magpies image rights

 

By Sportsmail Reporter

Last updated at 8:46 PM on 14th June 2009

 

* Comments (0)

* Add to My Stories

 

Joey Barton could face an investigation from the taxman after it was revealed he is earning around £675,000 in image rights at Newcastle United.

 

Newcastle’s attempts to offload the bad boy are being hampered further by the revelation that the controversial midfielder is paid the additional sum on top of his £80,000-a-week wages.

 

The taxman is now expected to seek an explanation to justify the extra payment for ‘image rights’ at a reduced tax rate, which is 31 per cent if the total earnings are more than £300,000 and at 20 per cent under that amount.

 

If officials believe there is little evidence that Barton’s image has been used by the club to generate additional income, he could face a bill of around £300,000.

 

The relegated club are still desperate to sell Barton following a series of publicised run-ins with the law and his managers since he arrived from Manchester City two years ago.

 

Barton is adamant he wants to stay and complete the remaining three years of his contract but Newcastle want him off their wage bill.

 

He has one of the most lucrative image-rights clauses in the country, and that could put off prospective buyers, if there are any.

 

 

This sort of thing happens all the time to save tax. It's just that it's Joey Barton, whose image is dog shit. Still the contract was neogotiated before the prison term I suppose.