Shut up Gary! Neville is a hypocrite over Chelsea ownership
Robin Bairner
- 14 Sep 2022 09:11 CDT
- 3 min read
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has renewed his calls for a regulator to manage Premier League ownership following comments made by Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly that there should be an all-star game introduced to England’s top flight.
Neville has been outspoken on the subject of the Glazers’ ownership of Man Utd, largely because they have used the club to reap huge profits for themselves while failing to back that up with success on the field.
Furthermore, though, certain policy decisions from the Red Devils’ American ownership have had fans up in arms. Their support of the Super League, for example, has concerned supporters.
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Indeed, Liverpool and Arsenal, who are also owned by Americans, were also in favour of that venture until pressure from fans forced them to quickly withdraw their interest.
Now Chelsea are owned by an investment group headed by Boehly, whose remarks at the SALT conference in New York raised eyebrows.
“Ultimately I hope the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports. And really starts to figure out, why don’t we do a tournament with the bottom four sports teams, why isn’t there an All-Star game?” he said.
Boehly comments met with criticism
The comments prompted an immediate response from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who said: “When he finds a date for that he can call me. In American sports these players have four-month breaks. Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well?
“Maybe he can explain that. I’m not sure people want to see that – United players, Liverpool players, City players, Everton players all together. It is not the national team. Did he really say it?”
North vs South all-star game? 🤔
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 14, 2022
While Klopp laughed off the remark, Neville called for greater control over who can buy football clubs.
On Twitter, he posted: “I keep saying it but the quicker we get the Regulator in the better. US investment into English football is a clear and present danger to the pyramid and fabric of the game. They just don’t get it and think differently. They also don’t stop till they get what they want!”
Neville was previously outspoken on Newcastle’s takeover by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund but finds himself in an awkward spot given that he is a co-owner of Salford City along with Peter Lim, a businessman from Singapore.
Indeed, the Premier League has largely grown because of its global appeal and inevitably attracts investment from all over the globe. While the American model of ownership may not be to Neville’s taste – and he is free to have his opinion on it – his stance is hypocritical given that his own project at Salford is being fuelled by foreign money.
