da brdice： Blackburn Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen has spoken up in defence of Newcastle United's Joey Barton, after the pair clashed at St James' Park just over a week ago.
da pinup bet： Barton was eventually handed a three-match suspension for punching Pedersen in the stomach, but the Norwegian has since received a personal apology from his fellow player and is happy to let the matter lie.
He told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph:"I couldn't answer the phone at that moment, but he left a nice message on my answering machine and I called him up the minute we had finished our team meeting.
"Joey shows that there is more to him than what came out on the pitch the other day, and I really appreciate it.
"It's not everyone who has the courage to call to apologise after such an episode, but Joey did without hesitation.
"Both me and Joey are professional and fully agree to put this behind us and that we can laugh about the whole thing next time we meet."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email