Gary Neville[1] has been branded a ‘champagne socialist and coward’ in a blistering on-air takedown by former Crystal Palace[2] chairman, Simon Jordan.
Neville, 50, sparked fury over the weekend with a video posted on his LinkedIn account where he took aim at ‘angry middle-aged white men’ following last week’s Manchester synagogue attack.
He also criticised Britons fastening St George’s and Union Jack flags to lampposts across the country, revealing he took one down ‘instantly’ after seeing it on one of his building sites.
The £1.1million-a-year Sky Sports pundit, who is not expected to be punished by his employers despite calls for a boycott of the broadcaster, faced a tongue-lashing from Jordan on talkSPORT[3].
When host, Jim White, put Neville’s diatribe to Jordan, he condemned the former Manchester United star, saying: ‘I think it’s astonishing in the wake of an Islamist terror attack that he decides to have a go at middle-aged white men. [4]
‘Maybe the middle-aged white men are the ones who worked on minimum wage inside his hotel, I don’t know. I think he’s a champagne socialist and a coward. It’s a dreadful thing to have said.
Simon Jordan, above, condemned Gary Neville as a ‘champagne socialist and coward’
Gary Neville (above) sparked a furious online backlash after his comments on the Manchester synagogue attack descended into a rant about ‘angry middle-aged white men’ dividing Britain by raising Union flags
Pushed on why Neville is a coward, he went on: ‘I think the real issue is about radical Islamist extremism and he doesn’t have the balls to call it out for what it is, rather than suggest that challenging our country about what’s happening, he’s insulated from these things.
‘He lives in a very rarified world where his money and privilege has allowed him to live in a gated environment, not have to worry about NHS appointments, doesn’t have to worry about people being attacked in the streets by immigrants that shouldn’t be here in the first place. [5]
‘He doesn’t have to worry about these things, so he has the ability to sit there and observe in such a way that insulates himself from it. I think it’s an appalling stance to have taken.
‘He’s entitled to his view, he’s entitled to a view. We are quite happy to wave any other flag in this country, whether it’s Palestinian flags, Ukraine flags or any other flag that we feel we’re able to wave.
‘But when you’re talking about people in this country that have legitimate concerns and want to have a legitimate value set and push back against what they’re having forced upon them, for Gary Neville to say what he said is the exact embodiment of being a champagne socialist, insulated from the real world and a coward because the real issue is some of the extremism going on in this country.’
The outspoken radio pundit, 58, made his fortune in the mobile phone industry and co-founded the car magazine, Octane. He left Pocket Phone Shop in 2000 and reportedly sold the business for £80m before taking over Palace and appointing himself chairman. In 2010, the club went into administration and Jordan’s ownership came to an end.
Neville’s self-taken video came in the wake of the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation tragedy, where Syrian-born terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie launched a deadly knife and car rampage.
The pundit is not expected to face any action from Sky despite the broadcaster holding clear guidelines which govern their contributors’ personal channels.
The former footballer made the comments around 24 hours after worshippers at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation were attacked by Syrian-born terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie (above)
‘Talent and contributors should be aware that social media communities are public forums and should not undertake activity that brings either the programme or Sky into disrepute,’ those guidelines read.
The Daily Mail contacted Sky for comment.
Neville has often shared his opinions on political issues, such as voicing that people should ‘detest’ the working conditions for migrant workers in Qatar and condemning Boris Johnson for ‘fuelling’ racism during his time as Prime Minister.
In his latest controversial video, Neville said: ‘I just kept thinking as I was driving home last night that we’re all being turned on each other and the division that’s being created is absolutely disgusting. Mainly created by angry, middle-aged white man, who know exactly what they’re doing.’
Neville continued: ‘When I was driving to Salford City last night, going down Littleton Road, I seen probably 50 or 60 Union Jack flags. And on the way back I went down the parallel road, Bury New Road, which has got the Jewish community right at its heart and they’re out on the streets, defiant, not hiding or in fear.
‘Funnily enough on one of my development sites last week there was a Union Jack flag put up and I took it down instantly.’
On the flag issue, Jordan raged against the idea that waving the national colours is somehow racist or deemed to be accepting of prejudice.
He explained: ‘It depends, if you listen to ghastly ex-Labour MPs like Emily Thornberry, you believe that anyone who waves the flag of St George is a thug and a luddite. It depends who you want to listen to.
Neville was back on-air for Sky on Sunday, just two days after his rant sparked outrage
‘I think you should be proud of your country and your country’s flag. It seems to be this country that seems to think because there are a few people that want to adopt it for the wrong reasons, that somehow it’s like suggesting every single time you have an issue with something in this country you have a narrative of undocumented young males coming into this country, people will say “you’re a racist”.
‘There’s nothing racist about that, it’s having a concern and being able to voice it. Politicians and people of influence in this country are not and have not been listening.’
In speaking about the flags, Neville, the co-owner of League Two Salford City, who has built a sprawling property empire in Manchester since retiring from football, was referring to Operation Raise the Colours was co-founded by Andrew Currien, also known as Andy Saxon.
Currien is an ally of Tommy Robinson[6] – real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – who has alleged links to the English Defence League and Britain First.
The campaign has also accepted a donation of flags from Britain First, which has denied repeated accusations that it is a far-right and fascist organisation.
Neville’s comments sparked an angry backlash from some online with one football fan threatening to cancel his Sky subscription unless Neville was sacked.
‘Really rate you as a pundit but Jesus Christ on a bike how the hell can you blame the likes of me for the sickening attack that was carried out by a terrorist,’ they wrote on X.
Another asked Sky Sports ‘is this the type of person you want representing your company? Really?’.
Neville is however not expected to face any action from Sky over his comments
There were unfounded claims that the broadcaster had been ‘bombarded with demands’ to issue a response to Neville’s ‘outrageous claim’.
While he was also accused that his remarks had ‘literally painted a target on the backs of the very people who have supported and payed [sic] his wages for the last 30 years’.
Responding to criticism that Neville was unpatriotic, he said: ‘I played for my country 85 times, I love my country. I love Manchester and I love England, but I’ve been building in this city for 15 to 20 years and there’s no one put a Union Jack flag up in the last 15 to 20 years[7], so why do you have to put one up now?
‘Quite clearly it’s sending a message to everybody that there’s something you don’t like.
‘The Union Jack flag being used in a negative fashion is not right and I’m a proud supporter of England, Great Britain, of our country, and I’ll champion it anywhere in the world as one of the greatest places to live.
‘But I think we need to check ourselves, bring ourselves back to a neutral point, because we’re being pulled right and left and we don’t need to be, at all.’
References
- ^ Gary Neville (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Crystal Palace (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ talkSPORT (www.youtube.com)
- ^ Manchester United (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ NHS (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Tommy Robinson (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ put a Union Jack flag up in the last 15 to 20 years (www.dailymail.co.uk)