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Gary Neville says soccer has proven incapable of governing itself and distributing money fairly and has joined forces with a group to call for independent regulation of the game.
The group, which includes former FA President David Bernstein, former FA Executive Director David Davies and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, have signed a ‘Manifesto for Change’, which states that the “existing dysfunctional structure and damaging “football has highlighted the English. the inability of the game to act as a unified voice during the coronavirus crisis.
He blames the financial might of the Premier League and the FA’s lack of credibility and ineffectiveness as the governing body.
The manifesto finds that “the national game operates within a model that is fundamentally flawed,” as evidenced by Bury’s disappearance last year and Wigan’s entry into the administration in July.
Talking to Sky Sports News, Neville said: “The principle is that we do not trust that football can govern itself and create the fairest treatment for everyone, be it the Premier League, EFL clubs, non-League clubs or the fans.
“It has been proven over the last six months that football has fought to bring everyone together and has proven incapable over a period of 25 to 30 years to transform gambling money into something that works for everyone.
“I want the best Premier League in the world, but I want sustainable football clubs.
“There is enough money in the game to be able to have an elite Premier League, a sustainable and competitive EFL, money that is transferred to the grassroots and out of the League and where the fans can get a fair deal.
“That’s where an independent regulator, with that spirit in their heart, can come in and say ‘that’s not fair.’
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“I know we have a big task ahead of us, but we have a group of people who love football and want the best for football.”
Proposals for a reform of the professional game in England, called Project Big Picture, were rejected by Premier League clubs on Wednesday, despite strong support from the English Football League.
The Premier League also announced plans for a “rescue package” for the League One and League Two clubs, consisting of grants and interest-free loans totaling £ 50 million more in addition to solidarity payments of £ 27. , 2 million pounds already advanced.
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Neville has criticized the time it took for the money to arrive, adding that he would be “embarrassed” to be a member of the Premier League.
“I don’t want to take all the money away from the Premier League,” Neville said. “I want the best players and the best coaches, but they have spent 1.2 billion pounds on a pandemic and it took them six months to pass 50 million pounds to the EFL.
“I would be embarrassed to be a part of the Premier League as a member if it took me six months to work out a rescue package for the EFL that needs it when they send that level of money in transfers. It’s not good enough.”
In response to the manifesto, a FA spokesperson said: “The Football Association plays a vital role in the governance and regulation of English football and the structure and ecosystem of our league is the envy of the world. We work hard to maintain this. system, with a clear focus on the broader game – not just at the elite level, but across the football pyramid and across the grassroots game.
“As the governing body of English football, it is our responsibility to work together to determine what is best for our game as a whole, with full dialogue between all key stakeholders.
“The bad governance that exists throughout football and in particular in the Football Association remains a problem … football has resisted change.”
“As we have said this week, any changes must be made in the right way and with a long-term perspective in mind. We are not interested in any changes that are designed to serve one area of the game, nor will we entertain ideas that are primarily in the interest of a few.
“If the Government wanted to amend and increase our responsibilities and powers to further improve the system, I would be happy to discuss it with them and of course we would consult with the leagues in the process. But most importantly, any changes should benefit clubs, fans and players from all over English football.
“The FA has a clear direction and ambitious goals to ensure that English football remains a positive force at all levels of the game.”
Bernstein: Regulator needed to solve the football crisis
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Bernstein, who served as president of the FA for three years starting in January 2011, has said Sky Sports News the balance of power in English football “is misplaced” and he says an independent regulator is the only way to save the game from the current “crisis”.
He said he had sympathy for the FA but criticized soccer for being “resistant to change.”
“It is clear that football is in a state of crisis. It is a crisis that has been building up for years or maybe even decades,” Bernstein said.
“Clearly, COVID has brought things to a head, but this is not something new. It is something that has been talked about for many, many years.
“The strength of the Premier League and the wealth disparity have led to a schism between the Premier League and the rest of football and created pressures on the rest of football that are simply not sustainable and that is obvious at this point.”
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“And secondly, the bad governance that exists throughout football and in the Football Association in particular is still a problem.
“The balance of power in the national game between the governing body, the Football Association and the Premier League, is in disarray.
“Soccer has resisted change, be it out of self-interest, vested interests or for some reason, it has resisted change.
“We have come to the conclusion that the only way to achieve substantial change in football is by appointing an independent regulator and that can only happen with the support of a parliament because this regulator will need a lot of force to make a series of changes. “.
The other members of the group are Conservative MP and former sports minister Helen Grant, former Bank of England Governor Mervyn King, television host and former Olympic heptathlete Denise Lewis and sports attorney Greg Scott.
The group also commissioned a poll of English football fans that found that 76 percent agreed that a radical change in governance was necessary and 78 percent believed that the English club model was unsustainable without change.
Their report also expresses concern about the lack of diversity within the game and a commitment to determine whether sufficient resources are being made available to develop the women’s game and soccer for the disabled.
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