Gary Neville breaks social media silence to comment on bombshell report that 'needs addressing'

Gary Neville has returned to Twitter to post a statement regarding a bombshell report surrounding English football.

Neville was on commentary for Sky Sports during Arsenal's 1-0 win over Tottenham in the north London derby.

After the game, he jumped onto social media to post an urgent statement - but it was not about the match he had just watched.

Instead, the Manchester United legend addressed reports surrounding the proposed independent football regulator for English football.

The regulator was part of the Football Governance Bill, which did not pass through Parliament under the previous Conservative Government before its mandatory shutdown in May ahead of the General Election.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer then reintroduced the plans when he and Labour took office in July.

The legislation, should it successfully pass through, will grant powers to a body that is independent from football and government authorities.

The body will oversee men's clubs within England's top five divisions, with the main aim of preventing clubs from falling into serious financial difficulty.

Earlier this week, UEFA sent a letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy surrounding the regulator, warning the Government to maintain their stance on not having any 'interference' in the running of football.

Punishments for doing the opposite could include England being banned from Euro 2028 - a tournament it is due to host. UEFA also indicate that it could prevent English teams from playing in the Champions League.

The letter, sent by UEFA general secretary Theodore Theordoridis and which was published in part by BBC Sport, reads: "We do have concerns remaining... as football should be managed by the national federation.

"One particular area of concern stems from one of UEFA's fundamental requirements, which is that there should be no governmental interference in the running of football.

"We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition."

Neville, who is strongly in favour of introducing the regulator, has labelled the possibility that a UEFA ban could happen as 'scaremongering' and 'misinformation'.

He said: "I don't post much anymore but feel the need to on this subject.

"Please don't be fooled by the scaremongering regarding the independent regulator and England losing tournaments.

"They will do anything to stop it coming in and are happy to create misinformation and apply soft power in the right places in the meantime.

"The regulator will have no impact at all on the quality of the Premier League yet will importantly protect the wider game and pyramid.

"England will also not lose hosting tournaments, but even if they did it's more that we protect the entirety of English club football than getting a tournament every 50 years."

In addition to Neville's comments, sources at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have downplayed concerns that the regulator could lead to any UEFA sanction, as per The Guardian's Sean Ingle.

In a statement from the Football Supporters' Association, it has also been reiterated that the regulator plans to be 'fully independent' from the Government.

Theodoridis' letter states that UEFA has been 'encouraged by the intent of the original fan-led review' into English football, although adds that 'this regulatory area should be returned to the FA in time'.

UEFA are said to have not previously shown any concern over the regulator, with the DCMS expected to respond to the letter shortly.

In a statement to SPORTbible, a DCMS spokesperson said: "The Football Governance Bill will establish a new Independent Football Regulator that will put fans back at the heart of the game, and tackle fundamental governance problems to ensure that English football is sustainable for the benefit of the clubs' communities going forward.

"The Regulator will not compromise the independence of the football authorities.

"We are working closely with UEFA and the FA on the development of the Football Governance Bill, which will stay firmly focused around financial sustainability and heritage protection of the sport."

The DCMS have also confirmed that UEFA and the FA are both 'engaging closely' with the Government, and it has been reiterated that the regulator will be fully independent of government.

UEFA's letter, meanwhile, has set out potential consequences should the regulator's remit stray beyond its current outlined targets, with no indication that the Bill breaches any of its rules.