Gary Neville has claimed Todd Boehly’s controversial plans are a clear sign that English football needs an independent regulator.
The Salford City owner has been a vocal proponent for an overhaul into the way the game is managed. Ever since the doomed Super League proposals in 2021, Neville has called for extra protection to be afforded to the current pyramid and to reduce the power the Premier League and its clubs hold.
There have since been discussions between the UK government and the Football Association into implementing a regulator, although there are now fresh question marks after Liz Truss became Prime Minister earlier this month. Last year, the Government commission Conservative MP and former Sports Minister Tracy Crouch to chair a review into fan governance - with the key finding being the need for independent regulation.
And Neville has suggested that Chelsea owner Boehly has reinforced the need for that to happen sooner, rather than later, after voicing radical proposals of his own. The US tycoon, who co-owns the LA Dodgers baseball team has hinted he would like to see an All-Star Game between clubs from the North and South akin to those seen across major American sports.
Boehly, speaking at the Salt conference in the United States, said: “Ultimately, I hope the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson out of the American sports teams and really start to think about why don’t we do a tournament with the bottom four teams.
“People are talking about why don’t we have more money for the pyramid? MLB did their all star game this year. They made $200m from a Monday and a Tuesday, you could do a North vs South all-star game from the Premier League to fund the pyramid very easily.”
The suggestion has been met with staunch opposition from a variety of sporting figures, including Match of the Day host Gary Lineker, who said: “Hey Todd, we already have All-Star games. They’re called internationals. The last thing our top players need is more games…and a meaningless game to boot.”
Gary Neville has joined the condemnation, adding that US investors into the English game serve as a “clear and present danger to the pyramid”. “I keep saying it but the quicker we get the Regulator in the better,” he posted on social media.
“US investment into English football is a clear and present danger to the pyramid and fabric of the game. They just don’t get it and think differently. They also don’t stop till they get what they want!”
Boehly, who bought the Blues from former owner Roman Abramovich earlier this year also discussed the idea of the Premier League giants being part of a “multi-club model” similar to rivals Manchester City.
“We are not expecting to be the football experts to find the best talent. We are going to put those people in place... We have talked about having a multi-club model, and I would love to build out the footprint,” he added.
City's owners, The City Football Group, own a network of clubs across the globe and have enjoyed sustained success over the past decade. Some of the clubs under the network include Girona, Lommel SK, Melbourne City and New York City FC.
