Gary Neville expects European Super League idea to return with ‘cherry on it’

The breakaway league was founded in April last year but quickly collapsed

Gary Neville believes there could be renewed attempts to form a European Super League by English clubs without an independent regulator (Martin Rickett/PA) (PA Archive)

Gary Neville is convinced the idea of a European Super League will make a comeback among English clubs unless the game has an independent regulator.

Six Premier League sides were founder members of the breakaway competition in April last year, which collapsed within 72 hours amid fan outrage and opposition from the Premier League, FIFA, UEFA and even the British Government.

The Super League saga prompted the Government to bring forward the fan-led review of football governance it had promised in its 2019 General Election manifesto, with Conservative MP Tracey Crouch chairing the review.

The key recommendation of the review, which was published last November, was the introduction of an independent regulator for the English game.

Without that, former Manchester United defender Neville fears the idea of a Super League will regain popularity among the owners of England’s biggest clubs.

“I think it’ll make a comeback,” he said at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.

“I don’t believe the hierarchy in elite football that exists is going to go away. They want more money, they’re in it to create more wealth for themselves.

“They’ve not really got a great interest in the wider game beyond their own clubs. Tracey Crouch has done a fantastic fan-led review, it’s a great report, it now needs to move through legislation in Parliament.

“If it does then I will finally believe that the European Super League is dead. Until that point, I don’t believe the European Super League is dead, I believe it will come back – rehashed, reworked, with a cherry on it this time.

“But the reality of it is that I still don’t think it will be accepted because the fans don’t want it.”