Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton 'should consider future' after holocaust analogy

Bristol Rovers has not yet made any comment about its manager Joey Barton's remark

Joey Barton has been told to consider his future as Bristol Rovers manager after comparing a poor performance by his side to "a holocaust".

Bristol councillor Fabian Breckels, an associate member of the Jewish Labour Movement, said the former England player's comments were "appalling".

Mr Breckels also criticised the club which has so far refused to comment on Mr Barton's comparison.

He said they "ought to provide a considered response fairly soon".

Labour councillor Fabian Breckels said Mr Barton's comments were appalling

Footage of the Rovers' manager's comments after its 3-1 defeat to Newport County went viral, and Mr Breckels was one of a number of anti-Semitism campaigners to criticise the former England international.

Dame Helen Hyde, a trustee of the National Holocaust Centre and Museum, believes his analogy showed a "lack of knowledge".

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"I don't think Mr Barton knows what the word means and he is certainly not aware of the huge sadness and offence he has caused.

"Might I suggest he is encouraged to learn about these tragic events," she added.

Dame Helen Hyde encouraged Mr Barton to learn about the Holocaust

The Bristol Holocaust Memorial Day Steering Group said it found Mr Barton's comments "really offensive".

"To compare the poor performance of a player or team to a holocaust shows a lack of understanding of the true barbarism, torture and evil that was inflicted on vulnerable groups in society," it said.

"As one of two professional football clubs that represent the city, it is saddening that neither the football club or the manager Joey Barton has issued an unequivocal apology."

Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, also said it was "clearly an inappropriate comparison".

During a post-match press conference on Saturday, Mr Barton told reporters: "I said to the lads during the week, 'the team's almost like musical chairs'.

"Someone gets in and does well but then gets suspended or injured.

"Someone gets in for a game, does well but then has a holocaust, a nightmare, an absolute disaster."

The Holocaust, carried out by the Nazis during World War Two, claimed the lives about an estimated six million Jews.