Gary Neville calls for end to US owners in English football

has called American investment in English football a ‘danger’ to the fabric of the game as he hit out at suggestions on how to improve the game from Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.

The former  player’s comments seemingly came in response to Boehly’s interview at a conference in New York on Tuesday.

Writing on on Wednesday, Neville pointed to the need for a football regulator and said the game in Britain needed to be protected from US investment.

‘I keep saying it but the quicker we get the regulator in the better,’ he wrote. ‘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 acquired Chelsea this summer alongside investment firm Clearlake Capital, has drawn controversy in the last 24 hours for comments he made regarding an all-star game in the Premier League and ways in which relegation could be altered. 

Speaking at the SALT conference in New York, Boehly said: ‘I hope the Premier League takes a little bit of a lesson from American sports and toko besi serang really starts to figure out, “Why wouldn’t we do a tournament with the bottom four teams? Why isn’t there an All-Star game?

‘You could do a North vs South All-Star game in the Premier League and fund whatever the pyramid needed very easily. Everyone likes the idea of more revenue for the League.’

On relegation, the Chelsea co-owner suggested: ‘Those relegation games are some of the highest broadcast games.

‘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.’

Boehly had faced criticism from some quarters prior to his comments at the conference this week, not least from Neville himself. 

With Chelsea appearing desperate in the transfer market, Neville jokingly mocked the owner, calling him ‘Todd Woodward’ in reference to United’s former chief executive. 

‘Your man Todd Woodward needs to stop wandering round like a kid in a sweet shop,’ he wrote on Twitter.

When a Chelsea fan sought to defend the American billionaire, Neville replied: ‘It’s just scattergun and unsustainable. I doubt this approach will go well.’