Topics: Football, Premier League, Gary Neville, UEFA, Manchester United, Liverpool
Gary Neville has been involved in a bizarre spat on social media with former Liverpool and Southampton striker Rickie Lambert.
Lambert, 42, spent 19 years as a professional footballer, making his way from non-League football to the Premier League.
After scoring 117 goals in 235 games for Southampton, Lambert secured a dream move to Liverpool in 2014.
But he lasted just one season at Anfield before moving on to West Brom and later Cardiff, before retiring in 2017.
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Since hanging up his boots, he has been known to voice his opinions on social media.
These have occasionally been bizarre, with the former striker infamously claiming last year that talking positively to water will instantly make it cleaner.
Former England international Lambert has now caused further controversy by slamming Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville for his views on the planned independent football regulator (IFR) in England.
Responding to reports England and English football teams could be removed from UEFA competitions including Euro 2028 if the government presses ahead with plans to introduce the regulator, Neville posted on X: "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 important that we protect the entirety of English club football than getting a tournament every 50 years."
Lambert has since responded to Neville with a bizarre post about the government and the former Manchester United defender.
"It's becoming clear exactly who and what you are @GNev2," tweeted Lambert, who is now an academy coach at Wigan Athletic.
"Instead of using the footballing community to come together and stop what is being implemented onto us, you are using your position to try and persuade them to accept the corrupt, cowardly shadow governments plan to destroy our way of life and society."
Neville immediately responded: "You okay Rickie?", followed by two crying-laughing emojis.
To which Lambert fired back: "I'm good Gary, you seen what your mates doing to this country?
"Why would you let them anywhere near our game?"
In a letter recently sent to the UK's culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, European football's governing body UEFA raised concerns about the proposed IFR in English football.
The IFR is part of the Football Governance Bill that Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled in July, with its aim to improve financial stability in the sport and prevent clubs from joining breakaway competitions like the failed European Super League.
However, UEFA regulations state there should be no government interference in the running of football, leading to suggestions England and English clubs could be barred from European competition if the IFR is brought into law.
A UK government 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."
