Gary Neville gives his thoughts on Man City being found guilty of breaching PL financial rules 🎙️
► Subscribe to Sky Sports Premier League: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsPL ► Watch Sky Sports with NOW: https://bit.ly/NOWPremierLeagueYT Gary Neville reacts to the news that Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules. Manchester City have lodged an appeal against the guilty verdict. premierleague football manchestercity garyneville ► Premier League highlights: https://bit.ly/PL2627HL ► MNF, FNF, SNF & Super Sunday analysis: https://bit.ly/SkyMatchAnalysis ► Gary Neville Podcast: https://bit.ly/GaryNevillePodcast ► Saturday Social: https://bit.ly/SkySaturdaySocial ► Buy this season’s shirts: https://bit.ly/SkySportsShop More from Sky Sports on YouTube: ► Sky Sports: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub ► Sky Sports Boxing: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub ► Sky Sports Cricket: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket ► Sky Sports Darts: https://bit.ly/SubSkySportsDarts ► Sky Sports Football: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub ► Sky Sports F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1 ► Sky Sports Golf: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf ► Sky Sports News: http://bit.ly/SkySportsNewsSub ► Sky Sports Retro: http://bit.ly/SkySportsRetroSub ► Sky Sports WSL: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsWSL ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkySportsFootball ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skysportsfootball ► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@skysportsfootball ► X: https://x.com/SkySportsPL ► Website: https://www.skysports.com ► To enquire about licensing Sky Sports content, you can find out more here: https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/news/31754/11434270/license-sky-sports-footage
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Just how significant is this guilty verdict? >> Oh, it's huge. Um, we're talking about effectively one of the greatest teams that the English Premier League division has ever produced. Um, and watching them over the last 15 years win and play the football that they did. But now there is a obviously very serious issue hanging over them. In fact, it's more than a serious issue hanging over them. They've been found guilty of a monstrous amount of charges um, that means that that period now is all in doubt. And there's obviously still a way to go. There's the appeal that I've just seen Manchester City make this afternoon. And who knows where it might go beyond that. But generally we've not seen the consequences sort of play out yet and we need to wait for that. But generally it's it's huge. It's undermines the English game and it undermines the achievements as I say one of the greatest football teams that we've seen. >> There's so many different angles to go down here. One thing that Roy Keane said was that he'd be sticking his winners medals in the bin if he was a Man City player. Do you share and understand that sentiment? >> Um, I I think that Manchester City's player I think will probably come out fighting in the next probably few weeks. Some of them have already and that's quite expected. You know, you defend your club to the hilt and the club that you've played for and the people that you played for because they've told you a certain version of the story. I think once this plays out properly and if the guilty verdicts remain as they are today, I think those players will start to get into a sort of mindset of thinking they feel completely and utterly let down and their achievements have been diminished. Um, and so yeah, I think that I understand completely where Roy's coming from. I think if Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal maybe you've had really um, they've they've had these types of successful periods in the past in their history. I think straight away those clubs would get to the conclusion that basically this is just gone horribly wrong. Whereas, I think for City, I can quite understand it what Pep Guardiola, what the Manchester City owners have built on and off the pitch in Manchester and on uh, you know, obviously on the pitch itself with the with that success that they've had, they're trying to hold on to every last little bit of hope that they can that this gets overturned so that they can basically go back to thinking that what was achieved over a 15-year period was real. If the guilty verdicts remain as they are, then that will not be real. It will be a period that to be fair will be tainted forever. >> And on that theme, you mentioned Pep Guardiola there. He's come out in support of the club and he has done over the course of the last 8 years ever since these charges have first been spoken about. If this is proven guilty and they fail on appeal, all his brilliant achievements, is that heavily tarnished now? >> The achievements are tarnished. Um, I think that his um, his reputation as a manager and the players that played under him um, individually aren't tarnished because what they still had to do is go out there on the pitch and produce the football that they did in the victories that they did. But, the achievements themselves will absolutely be tarnished. >> There's a feeling Gary and Jamie Carragher spoken about this that he doesn't think the City owners can continue if they fail in their appeal when and they believe they're innocent, they believe they've got irrefutable evidence to show their evidence. But, how much pressure will be on them if they don't get the verdict they want? >> It Joseph, it's not about pressure. Um, it's about something far more factual than that. Um, I am an owner of a football club and um, I have to comply with the owners and directors test um, as a Salford City Football Club owner and every single owner of a football club and director of a football club has to comply um with those laws that are stated in those sort of what would be parameters and guidelines. It's hard to see how they will comply if the guilty verdict remains with the owners and directors test um that exists in in this country. And I think particularly the fact that there's a new independent regulator uh that is in has been 6 months in power now. And uh will look very much at something like this because the reality of it is, you know, because of improper owners uh of football clubs over a long period of time, there are now a lot stricter rules in place about what owners can and can't be. Uh and if you read through the owners and directors test, it's going to be very difficult for the Man City owners to be able to retain their status because of just simply failing that test. It's not about pressure. Um it's about just basically the actual test that exists in this country. You have to be held to a higher standard if you're the owner of a football club. Um they are protected assets. They are community and um yeah, they are community assets. They they mean more than any other business in a in a in a city and in a town because of the history and the meaning they have to the people. So, yeah, I don't think it's about pressure. I don't think those emotional words count on this. It's about making sure that actually every owner in this country of a football club and director complies with the rules and the laws. >> And on that note, the Premier League used the term sham five times in what was quite a stunning statement from the Premier League. As an owner of a club yourself, are the rules pretty clear in terms of what you can and what you cannot do as a football owner? >> The The rules are very Believe it or not, the four sets of rules uh for the four divisions, the Premier League, the Championship, League One, and League Two have all have their own variances. I mean, I think in the Premier League, it's that you um can only lose, I think, 105 million over a 3-year period. I think in the championship, I think it's 13 million per season, 39 million over 3 year period. In League 1 and League 2, it's different. So, we haven't got a consistent set of rules that each owner has to abide by across the board. But, we're very clear, obviously, in League 2 what we have to abide by. We you have to comply with SCMP. We are actually in a position whereby we can be stopped signing players if we obviously haven't got that level of revenue. But, what we're talking about here is something different. It's actually about You you said the the phrase sham contracts. Contracts where basically the revenue were inflated on them so that the actual revenues were there to allow Manchester City to sign the players. If those sham contracts weren't in place, Manchester City would not have been able to sign the players that built that dynasty over a 15-year period, and that's just a fact. >> City being found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules, what is a suitable punishment? >> You know something? I I getting involved in how many points, how much the fine should be. I'm not interested in that. I think my view would be quite simply the appropriate punishment is to apply the directors and owners test. That's the most important. It would be to look at the achievements over that period and determine as to whether they those achievements should stand. They're the most important things for me. They're the ones that have the most, I think, direct consequence, I think, on English football. And they're the ones that I think are the most serious for Manchester City. If I was Manchester City and I was getting fined or I was getting deducted 60 points, I'd snap your hand off and get out of here right now. I know that they basically plead their innocence, but if they can get away with a fine and points, they'll be absolutely delighted. Um I actually wish Manchester City, look, historically I've said this, I'm not a great fan of the rules. Um I believe football clubs should actually have the ability to do what Jack Walker did in the '90s and build build out his hometown team. Um and people should be able to invest in football clubs to basically make them travel up the pyramid and get to the point whereby they can challenge at the top of the Premier League. So, I actually disagree with the rules. However, the rules are in place and others are abiding by the rules. And if you don't abide by the rules, you get punished. I would actually, to be fair, if I was Manchester City, so I if I was looking at Manchester City and they said, "We hated the rules. We're challenging the rules. We're going to give ourselves contracts that basically are like this and we're going to basically take on the establishment, which is what they call the red cartel." Um I would say, "Yeah, I'm probably with you." Um I'd probably stand by. I I I can fight for that. However, what Manchester City did is actually a lot worse because they voted for all these rules whilst breaking them and locked the door behind them so others then couldn't basically get up to the level that they were at. If you understand what I'm saying. So, I think they're they're they're they're obviously going to fight till the bitter end. They're going to make sure this drags on for as long as possible. Maintaining their innocence. Um my view would be I'd be great if they just basically sort of what would be lodged their actual position and and and and how they were feeling back in the day, which is basically this is unfair that we can't spend the money that we need to to be able to challenge Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea cuz Chelsea spent that money under Roman Abramovich. Jack Walker spent that money under Blackburn when they didn't have the revenues. And the relative it is Manchester City was stopped from doing that by rules. The problem is they voted for those rules whilst breaking them. And that's been proven by obviously the hearing and that's why they're guilty. So, I think that the most serious consequence for Manchester City lies around their achievements being stripped and their owners, that's where the main sort of consequences could lie. The actual points and the fine uh I mean, look, it'll it'll damage them momentarily, the owners, but it won't have that massive long-term impact that obviously the other the others would. >> One of the sanctions is of course expulsion. That's available to the independent commission. Would the Premier League be a weaker product without Manchester City? >> That's not a factor. That's not a factor to consider. I I'm sorry, we've got to start removing these emotional sort of points. So, I I saw yesterday and it was on Sky Sports News um where it said that, you know, we've spoken to a Premier League league owner or we've had word back from a Premier League owner that you know, Manchester City it would it would damage the league commercially if we um if Manchester City were to sort of but that is absolutely not a factor in this whatsoever and cannot be a factor in this. These clubs got away with absolute murder with Super League by get fined 11 million pounds each, including my club, Manchester United. They should have been fined 150 million, 200 million. They should have all been kicked out of the league for trying to damage irreparably English football. They got off scot-free because of the power that they have. And that's fine. I'm all for the top clubs sort of having an influence. That's fine. We want them. We need them. We need to watch it every single week. We adore it. We can't wait for Manchester United versus Tottenham Hotspur. We can't wait for Liverpool versus Manchester City a week on Sunday. I played for one of those clubs for 25 years and couldn't love it any more. But if they fall foul of rule, they have to be punished. You know, I absolutely slammed my football club after they basically put the Super League sort of bid forward. Absolutely slammed them. Manchester City players and fans eventually, I think if this continues and they're still proven guilty after appeal, need to start adopting that tac adopting that tac because the reality of it is, this is a massive problem. This is a sort of thing that we look at other countries and think that corruption and fraud and um match-fixing and referees being paid and sort of financial doping, all those things seem to happen in other countries. We don't seem to have it in our country. We We pride ourselves on integrity. The Premier League is the greatest export around the world that we have and it's now being basically dragged through the mud because the team who have been the very best team for 15 years at the moment as we stand are guilty of winning those titles inappropriately. And that's devastating. So, we've got to take the emotional aspect out of it. You know, does Man Does Does Man City being in the in the Championship or in League Two weaken the Premier League? Yeah, we we The Premier League survived without Aston Villa, without Nottingham Forest, without Sheffield Wednesday, uh without Leeds United. These are great football clubs that were bigger than Man City 10, 15, 20 years ago. So, the idea that basically English game is going to be momentarily sort of what would be damaged financially for a year or two whilst they're out of the league. One thing I'm absolutely adamant on, the fans of Man City have got no blame here and the players of Man City have absolutely got no blame at all. And Man City is a great football club and you know something I've enjoyed the last 15 years. When I was sort of finishing my career at United and Man City was starting to come right up on our shoulder and all the investment that's happened in East Manchester, I've celebrated that 15 years. Absolutely celebrated. It's been amazing what they've done for the east side of Manchester. Been incredible the type of teams that have been built, challenge Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, old money as you would call it. And the reality of it is all that now has basically become fresh air. And that is you know, I've commentated on Sky for 15 years and I feel like not it's necessarily waste of 15 years, but ultimately that the achievements that we've seen in that time now stand for very little. >> Gary, if there was to be an expulsion, then City's future would then reside in the hands of the FA and the EFL. A vote would have to take place in the middle of all 72 clubs. As an owner of an EFL club, how would you feel about where they enter and how would you vote? >> Well, one thing's for certain, Manchester City has to go on forever. So, let's be clear. There's no sort of like, you know, we're we're not getting into the nonsense of Manchester City needs to be sort of what will be expul- expelled from you know, the English game. That's ridiculous. That club's got a huge history. You know, the likes of sort of Mike Summerbee that I see sat there in that stand with great honor, with a man who represents that club incredibly well. You know, and all the other great players that have played for Manchester City and that history of that club and Maine Road and everything that they've done there. All the great sort of what will be nights and and days that those fans have had. That that that can't go away. Manchester City will be here long after the owners, the players, and everybody else that's been at the football club in the last 15 years. So, Manchester City, to be fair, in respect to I actually don't think it's that important whether Manchester City get relegated. I actually don't think that's the most important thing here. Uh it's a sideshow. The The fine and the points are a sideshow. It's all about the achievements that were actually made during that period. Do they stand? And what happens to the owners? The people who orchestrated this. The directors and owners test is something that's very important and is a privileged position to be in in our country. To own part of a football club or own a football club is something that should take is is one of the greatest responsibilities you could have. It really is. Because you're looking after something that is absolutely vital to our country's psyche every single week. It's how millions and millions of men and women every single weekend get their release and their relief from the pressures of life. And the reality of it is, it needs to be taken very seriously. So, don't get bogged down on fines and Manchester City being in League Two or League One or the Championship. And don't get bogged down on points deductions. Just concentrate on the two most important things, the achievements during that time and what happens to the owners and the executives who all saw the doping that occurred from a financial perspective in that period. They're the only two things that I think matter. >> In terms of what matters on the pitch, City face Liverpool at Anfield in the next game. It could be a hostile environment. What's it going to be like for the players next Sunday and over the course of the next few weeks and months? >> Look, the negativity spiral that's going to surround the club has got nothing to do with the current manager or or fans or the current players. So, I have got some sympathy for them and I've got some uh some compassion because I played football. And when you're playing in a negative environment and they will be for a constant period, it's not going to be easy for them. And those City fans who are going to be probably quite determined to support a club at Anfield a week on Sunday, they'll come a point in a few weeks and months where they'll they'll look back or they'll sit there and they'll think, "How have we ended up in this position? How has this happened to us? This was sort of If you think about it, this was the club that basically in Manchester had the sort of cheapest tickets. They were the ones that were the easiest to go and watch. They were the ones that really looked after their fans the most. That's what Manchester City was. And to be fair, that a lot of that's continued in the last 15 years. But this is a club that's been built on soul from a very difficult part of Manchester a tough part of Manchester and it's being misrepresented in the last 15 years unless the owners can overturn that appeal.