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Former Manchester United defender, Gary Neville, has slammed the Premier League, accusing them behaviour akin to bullying ahead of the potential introduction of an independent football regulator.
The Football Governance Bill, which includes the creation of an independent regulator, was originally introduced by the Conservatives back in March, however Labour are wanting to push ahead with it.
The idea of an independent regulator in English football came after the issues surrounding the potential European Super League.
The government spoke out, saying it will “protect football clubs” by “ensuring their financial sustainability” and the bill, will give powers to the regulator to intervene in football when necessary.
The United legend has been a key supporter of an independent regulator and it’s thought its introduction would benefit and protect English football fans throughout the pyramid.
However, the Premier League have been reluctant to see the set up of an independent regulator with its CEO, Richard Masters, warning it would be a ‘risk’ for it to be established.
One of the biggest concerns is that English teams could be barred from European competition if the new regulator is introduced, with UEFA having rules against state involvement in football governance, but Labour have dismissed those concerns and reiterated it would be independent of the government.
Neville has slammed the Premier League for their resistance to welcoming an independent regulator.
Speaking to PA at a Labour conference on Monday, he said: “We have a Premier League that’s entitled, they feel entitled. I’m not going to use the word greedy, but I just have.”
He continued: “They are selfish and I can’t understand that way of thinking. It’s almost like they’re the big brother that sit there and distribute scraps of food to the little brothers round the table.
“It’s not what you do when you’re in a family. Their mindset is such of a bully. Their mindset is such that they think they can influence the regulator once the regulator’s introduced and they can get a better deal potentially the other side of the regulator.
“And what they’re applying is their soft power and their influence to try and create scare stories and scaremongering, like we had a couple of weeks ago.”
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