Former Manchester United player, Gary Neville, has publicly criticized the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for their handling of his brother Phil’s media career. The brothers, who have a combined 14 Premier League titles to their names and over 1,200 top-flight appearances between them, transitioned into punditry after retiring from professional football.
Gary began his broadcasting career with Sky Sports' Monday Night Football alongside Jamie Carragher. He quickly became a household name on the channel's Premier League coverage as a studio analyst and co-commentator. His insightful analysis and engaging commentary style won him many fans among viewers.
On the other hand, Phil struggled to establish himself in the same field after retiring from football in 2013. Despite being given an opportunity by the BBC to share his wisdom as part of their commentary team at the 2014 World Cup, he faced criticism from viewers who described his input as 'dull'.
Controversy surrounding Phil's early media career
In an episode of Stick to Football podcast series, Gary opened up about what he perceived as unfair treatment towards his younger brother during his early media career. "I thought it was scandalous the way he was treated in his early media career," said Gary.
Ian Wright, fellow panelist on Stick to Football podcast series suggested that Phil was 'hung out' to dry by BBC management - an opinion that resonated with Gary.
Gary Neville, Manchester United manager, said:
"Absolutely. Wrighty, you'll know this. Co-commentary is the hardest thing to do. This happened with my brother. Where they put him in his first game, the BBC put him in his first game in the World Cup, England versus Italy with 20 million people watching,”
Unequal opportunities?
Gary pointed out that when he started at Sky Sports he was given time to settle into his role and adjust to new surroundings – something which according to him wasn't extended towards Phil during his stint with BBC.
Despite facing backlash following a lackluster debut match commentary at World Cup 2014 in Brazil; Phil continued working for BBC throughout the tournament commenting on three more matches before calling it quits in 2018.
After ending his short-lived media career, Phil transitioned into a managerial role. He first took charge of the England women's national football team, known as the Lionesses, before moving on to manage Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.
