Gary Neville has explained why Manchester City’s guilty verdict gives him no cause for celebration, warning that the scandal threatens the reputation of the Premier League.
The former Manchester United captain described the findings as “chilling” and said English football was being “dragged through the mud” in front of a global audience.
Speaking on Stick to Football, Neville made clear that his allegiance to City’s rivals had been overtaken by concern about the damage to the competition.
“I’m chilled, this is chilling not celebratory,” he said.
“I support Manchester United, you support Liverpool, you were Arsenal. It is chilling to listen to this.”
City were found guilty by an independent commission of all charges relating to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules, alongside most charges concerning their failure to co-operate with the investigation.
The commission found the club used sham agreements to inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than £900million across nine seasons.
City dispute the findings and intend to appeal, with sanctions still to be determined.
Gary Neville has explained why Manchester City’s guilty verdict gives him no cause for celebration, warning that the scandal threatens the reputation of the Premier League
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STICK TO FOOTBALL
For Neville, the implications extend beyond whatever punishment follows.
He pointed to Italian football’s struggles following the Calciopoli scandal, which resulted in Juventus losing titles and being relegated in 2006.
“The Italian game has suffered immeasurably in the last 25 years,” Neville said.
He stopped short of predicting an identical outcome for England’s top flight, but questioned the belief that the Premier League stood apart from controversies elsewhere.
Manchester City have been found guilty of breaking Premier League rules with the saga still ongoing
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GETTY“I’m not saying that’s going to happen to the Premier League but we always think that we’ve got an enormous integrity the Premier League, that we are the sort of league that sets the standard and it’s other leagues that have got corruption, fraud, doping scandals, match fixing, referee scandals,” he said.
Neville’s comparison concerned the potential damage to a league’s standing, rather than an allegation that City’s case involved the same misconduct as Calciopoli.
His fear was that the verdict would undermine confidence in a competition whose popularity stretches far beyond Britain.
“This is now coming to our country, this is now coming to our league,” he continued.
“This is the greatest export that we have in our country in the world.”
Neville also argued that the Premier League’s leading clubs were among the first subjects raised when British people travelled abroad.
Manchester City could face some of the most severe punishments in football | GETTY
“If you go around the world and talk about Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, you talk about the Premier League,” he said.
“People talk about the Premier League more than anything when you tell them where you’re from. At the moment, we’re being dragged through the mud.”
The unresolved appeal and punishment process means the controversy will continue beyond the announcement.
City maintain their opposition to the commission’s conclusions, with club chiefs adamant they’ve done nothing wrong despite the scrutiny that surrounds them.
