'Take me off' - Gary Neville makes damning demand about Sky Sports coverage after Man City v Liverpool
Gary Neville has made a plea to the Sky Sports bosses about his place in their coverage after Manchester City's win over Liverpool
On Sunday afternoon, Manchester City returned after the three week international break with a dominant 3-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield.
However, the win was no doubt soured by the recent news that the club had been found guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against the club by the Premier League, prompting Neville to make a request about his future covering City for Sky Sports.
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Gary Neville asks Sky Sports to take him off Man City matches
Despite their dominant on-field display, it comes as no surprise that before, during and after City's match at Anfield almost all of the conversation centred on the 115 charges verdict.
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Even though Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki all scored spectacular goals, to many watching it felt tainted following what is happening off the pitch.
And for that exact reason, Sky Sports pundit Neville has requested that, until the ongoing appeal process concludes and the 115 charges saga is over, he no longer works on any Manchester City fixture.
"This is the first Manchester City game that I have done today since the charges or guilty verdicts were handed out a few weeks ago," he said on Sky Sports.
“We were just doing the podcast then and said if you could take me off Manchester City games moving forward for the next few months until the verdicts have been heard, I would be absolutely delighted."
Praising City's performance, he added: "To come and win at Anfield is really difficult, we should be eulogising over them without a but or any hesitation, but there is that thing in the back of your mind.
"They have done a brilliant job here today. They have dominated the game in the last 20 minutes, from the red card onwards. They have dug in and I think players like [Gianluigi] Donnarumma, [Ruben] Dias and Anderson, in that first-half were excellent. They stood strong as a group."
Neville continued, admitting that he believes that, whatever the outcome, the situation surrounding City and any potential punishment must be resolved as soon as possible or this exact cloud will continue to ruin City's fixtures for the foreseeable future.
He said: “At the end of the game it is quite hard because you are imagining basically if these guilty verdicts are confirmed in January or February then Manchester City are not going to be in the position they are in and there is going to be a huge cloud hanging over the whole league, which is not good for the Premier League right now and that is what I have just recognised today. Really bad for the Premier League and it is going to continue for a few months."
As it stands, it is not known what punishment or punishments City could face should the guilty verdicts.
That being said, it is believed that significant fines, point deductions, transfer bans or even relegation and/or expulsion from the Premier League all remain on the table.
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How long with Manchester City's 115 charges appeal take?
Days after the Premier League confirmed the verdict of the independent panel investigating the 115 charges, City, who maintain that they are completely innocent, confirmed that they were exercising their right to an appeal.
City officially lodged the appeal on on 1 October, claiming that they have an “irrefutable body of evidence” that would lead to the verdict being overturned.
As per the Premier League rules, the process must be concluded within 12 weeks of the appeal being lodged, meaning the independent panel must deliver its verdict by December 25.
After that, the verdict must be made public within 30 days.
But, with the legal process shutting down for two-weeks for Christmas and New Year, it could mean that the panel will have have until February 8 to announce its verdict.
And, regardless of the outcome of the appeal, it is likely that the saga surrounding City's 115 charges will continue for months, or even years, with other Premier League clubs or players potentially able to sue City should the verdict be upheld.
Topics: Gary Neville, Premier League, Sky Sports, Man City, Football
Ben McCrum