Football in Brief: Barton will not press charges; Thompson fired over the phone

Queen's Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton was arrested yesterday on suspicion of affray after an altercation outside a nightclub in Liverpool, sources said.

Barton, 29, was involved in an incident in the early hours of yesterday while on a night out with his girlfriend in Liverpool.

Two men, aged 21 and from Liverpool, were arrested on suspicion of a public order offence at around 5:30am outside Garlands nightclub. But after they were held in custody and questioned, Barton and a 20-year-old man were also arrested yesterday afternoon. Barton was released on bail last night pending further enquiries by Merseyside Police.

Thompson fired over the phone

Alan Thompson was sacked as Celtic's assistant coach by Neil Lennon over the phone after he refused to meet the manager, according to the club.

On Sunday night Thompson instructed lawyers to act on his behalf after he was given the news by Lennon, a former Celtic team-mate.

The Scottish champions claimed in a statement that Thompson had failed to attend a meeting with Lennon in Newcastle."A meeting was set up between Alan Thompson and Neil Lennon on Sunday in Newcastle," the statement read. "Alan refused to meet with Neil, hence the reason for the discussion being conducted by telephone. The matter is now in the hands of lawyers and we are unable to go into any further details."