Gary Neville compares Premier League to 'bully' in football pyramid scheme deals | Premier League

The Premier League has acted like a “bully” in its negotiations to secure extra money for the football pyramid, Gary Neville has said. Talks over a new TV money deal between the Premier League and EFL have has been on hold since Marchwith no signs of imminent resumption.

Football's independent regulator is likely to be given “backstop” powers to resolve the dispute, with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy saying on Monday that legislation to introduce the regulator would be put before parliament “within weeks”.

He Premier League The club have pledged to invest £1.6bn in solidarity payments across football over the three years until the end of this season, a deal that will remain in place until a new agreement is signed. However, Salford City co-owner and former Manchester United defender Neville believes the top flight should do much more to support the sustainability of clubs outside it.

“I have no idea what they're playing at. They look awful to me,” she told the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. “They look selfish. They look greedy. Everything you wouldn't want to be in life, everything your parents wouldn't want you to be.

“We are willing to accept the conditions regarding the money to be paid, because the reality is that we want a sustainable game. I am the owner of a football club and I want my club to be sustainable.

“(Football) is not sustainable, and we have a Premier League that is entitled to everything. They feel entitled. They are the big brother who sits there and distributes food scraps to the little brothers around the table. It’s not what you do when you’re in a family.

“I know exactly what they are doing – if they wanted to do a deal, they would have done it. But their mentality is that of a bully – they think they can influence a regulator once it is introduced and potentially get a better deal from the other side of the regulator that comes into the picture.”

The Premier League declined to comment but sources within the top flight dismissed Neville's claims about harassment. The Premier League is still in discussions with the new government over football's regulator and its position remains that light, targeted and proportionate legislation can be made to work.