Commentator and pundit Gary Neville has pleaded with Wycombe Wanderers and Middlesbrough to drop their legal cases against Derby County in order to save the club.
The former Manchester United right-back, who played 400 games in the Premier League, believes both teams should ‘stand down’ as the Rams face the prospect of being liquidated before the season ends in May.
Both the Boro and the Chairboys are taking the Rams to court over an alleged loss of earnings due to County’s Financial Fair Play breaches.
Derby have three potential buyers who are reportedly holding off on any deal due to the risk of having to defend the claims.
And in the week commencing January 17, many statements were released by the EFL and Derby in trying to explain the ongoing situation, whilst Middlesbrough penned an open letter to the Rams’ joint administrators, insinuating that the information they had given to the media was ‘not correct.’
Gary Neville (screenshot from Sky Sports YouTube)
READ MORE: Derby fan pens open letter pleading Wycombe supporters for 'empathy and understanding'
Wycombe chairman, Rob Couhig, also went on a radio station in the city to explain his stance on why he is taking the club to court.
Derby are currently 23rd in the Championship, eight points off safety on 14 points, despite having a -21 point deduction at the start of the season.
Last year, they avoided relegation on the season’s final day by one point, which ultimately relegated Wanderers back to League One.
Speaking ahead of the Premier League match between Watford and Norwich City that took place on January 21, Neville said live on Sky Sports: “You’ve got these two outstanding legal cases with Wycombe and Middlesbrough.
“Now, Wycombe and Middlesbrough may have very valid cases, they may not have valid cases, but I think if football is a real family, Wycombe and Middlesbrough have to stand down.
“They have to stand down, unfortunately.
“That’s not to suggest that their cases are invalid, or to suggest that their cases are valid.
“We talk about the football family…football is a family where the brothers and sisters are arguing over the will.
“It’s not a true family because we see greed, selfishness and I’m not talking about Wycombe or Middlesbrough here.
“We’re talking about the desperation that exists with what the previous owner has done and at the bottom of the ladder are the fans, waiting for outcomes and news.”
He also suggested football clubs should not be treated as normal businesses, but instead as a Grade I listed buildings, to stop them from falling into liquidation.
Neville also compared the ongoing situation to what happened to his hometown club of Bury in 2019.
Bury, who had achieved promotion to League One in May of that year, went dormant just three months later due to poor ownership and a lack of funding from the club’s then chairman, Steve Dale.
🗣 "It's inconceivable that this can continue."@GNev2 has called out for the structure in English football to be changed and believes clubs should be treated differently to normal businesses 👇 pic.twitter.com/N5w30tOiUn
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 21, 2022
The former England international also suggested that changes needed to be made in Parliament to stop clubs from struggling financially.
To watch the full video regarding Neville's view on Derby, Wycombe and Middlesbrough, click here.
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