Gary Neville wants to avoid Manchester City games until the verdict

“We should be praising them, but there’s always that little voice”: after Manchester City’s 0-3 win at Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, Gary Neville explained that he no longer wanted to commentate on the club’s matches in the coming months, while awaiting the verdict. The pundit believes the financial case involving City now extends beyond the club and is damaging the competition as a whole.

Manchester City won at Anfield in a match played amid the club’s finding of guilt over financial breaches, with an appeal pending and possible sanctions still to come. After the game, Neville said the situation was hurting the entire Premier League. In his view, there is now a before and an after for Manchester City.

The atmosphere around the club was also evident in the stands. On Sunday, during the clash with Liverpool, home supporters gave Enzo Maresca’s players a hostile reception, with insulting and mocking chants as well as provocative banners.

Last week, Manchester City announced that it would appeal the decision of an independent commission, which found the club guilty of 114 of 115 financial breaches examined between 2009 and 2018. Neville made his request while that process remains unresolved.

“This is the first Manchester City match I’ve commentated on since their guilt was pronounced a few weeks ago. If you could spare me their matches for the next few months, until the verdict is delivered, I’d be absolutely delighted,” he said. He also acknowledged the team’s performance: winning at Anfield is “really difficult”, and City had, in his view, “clearly dominated the match in the last twenty minutes, from the red card”.

But praise remains difficult to offer without qualification. “It’s not good for the Premier League,” Neville said, lamenting that every City win is now tainted by the case and damaging the image of English football’s top flight. The “little voice” he described captures that unease: he believes the team deserves praise, while being unable to separate its success from the ongoing proceedings. He also conveyed the feeling that Manchester City should not be allowed to win the championship.