Gary Neville on the warpath
GARY NEVILLE TO BECOME THE GREAT ANGRY WATCHDOG OF FOOTBALL
“It’s an absolute disgrace,” a seething Neville told Sky Sports’ Dave Jones after the shock announcement of what would end up being a doomed European Super League back in April. “I’m disgusted. We have to wrestle back the power in this country from the clubs at the top – and that includes my own.”
While football fans are used to seeing Red Nev riled up by anything as minor as zonal marking, this was another level. As part of an impassioned speech one spring Sunday afternoon, Neville became the spokesperson for every fan as he lashed out at every elite club in the land. His own Manchester United and Liverpool were labelled “impostors”; Tottenham a “joke”; Arsenal “a shambles”.
As ever, though, G- Nev’s rage was polished as he aired the collective opinion of millions watching. “It’s a criminal act against football fans in this country,” he hissed into his microphone. “Deduct points, deduct their money and punish them… the owners of these clubs are bottle merchants.”
Neville hasn’t often stuck his neck out in dismissing the Glazers, United’s owners, directly before – but this was different. This time, they’d gone too far. And there was a reaction: soon after his speech went viral amid a slew of social media hysteria, the Super League was scrapped as owners, organisers and co- conspirators backtracked faster than a politician caught with his pants down. Bumbling apologies and letters of resignation were mocked on social media, as a rare victory for the little man was savoured.
Two months later, Joel Glazer even replied to Neville’s criticism directly in a rare fans’ forum appearance. “I know Gary has been, to say the least, pretty hard on us, and it’s OK,” said the American. “Everybody has their views. Sometimes things are a little more complex, but Gary’s a legend. Gary did so much for this club. Gary has good ideas, good thoughts. And they’re heard.”
By then, however, UEFA had already doled out their ‘ punishment’: a combined fine for the nine offending clubs who later pulled out, totalling… er, € 15m. Move along folks, nothing to see here. Neville duly launched a petition to introduce an independent regulator in English football by December 2021, gathering over 142,000 signatures. The government responded by declaring an imminent, if undetailed, “wide- ranging, fan- led review of football governance”.
Football’s new watchdog has been calmed, then... but only for now. Good boy.