
Ousmane Dabo last night labelled Premier League hooligan Joey
Barton a coward and called on Newcastle to sack him.
Dabo - now with Lazio - said: 'I almost lost an eye,' he
recalled. 'It was a terrible day but now I am happy with the
outcome.
'Barton admits he attacked me, struck me from behind and beat me
when I was unconscious.
'He admits he behaved in a cowardly way, and he is a coward.
'We met one another on Monday. He was in one corner and me
in another.
'He did not talk to me or apologise. But it did not trouble me
to see him again.'
Barton is currently serving a six-month prison sentence for a
separate assault, on a man oustide a Liverpool McDonald's
restaurant in December last year.
Newcastle are keen to offoad the player bought by former manager
Sam Allardyce from City a year ago and Sportsmail revealed
yesterday that Bolton are the latest club to show an interest.
Dabo, however, believes Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan and owner
Mike Ashley should make a moral stand and sack the player.
The Frenchman added: 'This is not the first time he has had
trouble with the law
'He attacked some people in Liverpool recently.
'English clubs teach you lots of lessons, but in this case
they truly lack ethics and morals.
'Newcastle have invested a lot in this guy, and they do not want
to lose a lot of money. The club does not care a damn about
the law - and it shocks me.
'Thankfully there was no confrontation at the court. Barton
pleaded guilty straight away and I did not need to give evidence.
That says a lot about me - it shows that my version of the
truth is the truth. I am happy with the outcome.'
Dabo endured a miserable two years at City after being signed by
Stuart Pearce in the summer of 2006.
Last night the 31-year-old added: 'I am happy at Lazio, and I do
not think I am cut out for the Premier League.
'At Manchester City I injured my knee, I got a three-match ban
soon after I arrived, and I got attacked.
'Then to finish things off I ended up with Sven Goran Eriksson
as my manager - and he never played me for a single minute.'