Troubled Manchester City player Joey Barton will not be charged by Merseyside police following his bum flashing incident at Goodison Park when his side drew 1-1 with Everton.

The incident occurred when scouser Barton walked toward the tunnel after giving his shirt to a disabled fan. Barton cheekily dropped his shorts at the Everton faithful who had been hurling torrents of abuse at him during the game. City manager Stuart Pearce has backed his player even though he thought his act was ‘childish’ as it was done with a smile and was “at best… a bit of comedy to laugh off”.

Barton is not quite out of the water yet as the FA have still to decide if they will charge the player for his recent bout of naturism. With the discrepancy in their judgement at handling disciplinary matters recently Barton could find himself with a severe penalty coming his way. Stuart Pearce will be hoping that it will not involve a suspension as Barton is an integral part of his City side who are struggling for results.