Manchester United icon Gary Neville has sparked considerable outrage among middle-aged white men by highlighting the divisions within the UK and beyond.
In recent days, Neville has faced significant backlash, particularly from the Daily Mail, which controversially labeled his comments as a ‘racist’ outburst.
The former Man Utd and England defender aimed to address broader issues by denouncing “hate speech in any form and abuse in any form,” while calling for unity “to restore a country founded on love, peace, and harmony.” Yet, as expected, some segments have taken his comments out of context.
Clearly, Neville’s assertion lamenting “the division that’s being created…mainly by angry, middle-aged white men who know exactly what they’re doing” has dominated headlines, provoking a strong reaction among that demographic, particularly against the Sky Sports pundit and businessman.
Below is a compilation of nine of the most notable and, at times, alarming reactions to Neville’s remarks this week…
Joey Barton
“In his obviously insulated world, he’s sitting in an ivory tower, shuttled into a Sky studio from whatever sprawling estate he owns, worth between £50m and £70m. I’ve heard that Overlap earns them £20,000 per appearance and now sponsored by ARNE, which likely targets a white, middle-class audience. It’s certainly not appealing to anyone named Jihad—there can’t be many of those around.”
“Gary has fallen into the trap of virtue signaling. We have this fool, Neville, who has crossed paths with me, and I’m happy to debate either him or Rio for two hours. Gary sat in a room with me during The Edge podcast; he doesn’t need to fear me, but intellectually, I think he has a lot to explain.”
“I don’t believe Gary Neville has considered who his audience truly is. You’ve stated that people who display the Union Jack and are patriotic about their country are problematic, but if he had referenced someone with brown or black skin, there would be an absolute uproar.”
“Individuals like this continually gaslight you, saying, ‘no, you’re a racist for believing that. You’re far-right for holding those views.’ There’s a synagogue that was attacked, and we have a foolish footballer whose integrity seems entirely for sale to the highest bidder.”
“Should that highest bidder be the Qataris, he would dismiss any human rights considerations to accept their money. He is a tool for exploitation, as shown by his foolish comments this weekend.”
“If he were truly a man of the people, as he claims, he’d recognize that middle-aged white men are not the issue in this country. Displaying a few flags or being worried that your daughters or granddaughters might face harm from illegal immigrants isn’t a far-right stance.”
Simon Jordan
“It’s astonishing that, in the aftermath of an Islamist terror attack, he chooses to criticize middle-aged white men.”
“Perhaps those middle-aged white men are the ones earning a minimum wage in his hotel. I consider him a champagne socialist and a coward. His statement is utterly deplorable.”
“When pressed on why I see Neville as a coward, I believe the real issue lies in radical Islamist extremism; he lacks the courage to address it directly. He’s insulated from these realities.”
“Living in a privileged world with no worries about NHS appointments or street safety due to immigrants gives him a skewed perspective. Thus, he can make observations that are glaringly detached from reality. It’s an awful position to take.”
“He’s entitled to his views, as are we all. We can wave any flag in this country—whether it’s Palestinian, Ukrainian, or otherwise. But for him to dismiss the concerns and values of those seeking to oppose what’s being imposed on them is quintessentially the behavior of a champagne socialist, completely removed from genuine issues like extremism.”
Matt Le Tissier
Le Tissier commented to students at Southampton Solent University: “He has effectively criticized the demographic responsible for funding his wages, which is rather odd.”
“That criticism depends largely on one’s alignment within the current media climate, which tends to be oriented leftward. Those slightly right-leaning aren’t afforded the same leniency for mistakes.”
“I believe they will support him, just as they did with Jamie Carragher during his controversial incident.”
“It’s not quite as extreme as that, so Gary could justifiably argue he shouldn’t be dismissed.”
Nigel Farage
“He’s directing blame at ‘middle-aged white men,’ the very individuals who financially support Sky Sports and consequently his salary.”
“Neville is placing the blame on them for all division rather than confronting the dangerous, mad Islamist responsible for killing innocent people.”
“He is so disconnected from reality and the average football fan that it’s astonishing Sky Sports maintains his position.”
READ: Neville’s ‘tantrums’ are likely to continue until he’s removed from Sky Sports and his Overlap podcast.
Jeremy Kyle
“I apologize—I know I usually promise to be calm here. We’re being told that it’s ‘angry middle-aged white men’ causing division for simply waving flags.”
“While I’m hesitant to diminish the importance of football, why are individuals like Neville, who have profited immensely from the working-class, now attacking them? Why should these individuals, who they are supposed to respect and represent, be the targets?”
“Does he genuinely think that middle-aged white men raising flags are the cause of our societal divisions? Just hours after innocent Jewish individuals were murdered on Yom Kippur, there was a protest just a mile away with individuals waving Palestinian flags and shouting obscenities—yet I doubt Neville would address that.”
“If you were to condemn those inciting such violence, Neville would probably claim it was unfair, but he feels it’s acceptable to criticize middle-aged white men.”
“I propose Gary Neville does two things: either give away his fortune to every immigrant and marginalized group he feels is mistreated in this nation or move to an area where he’s confronted by these realities instead of residing in his vast mansion in Chester.”
Oliver Brown, Chief Sports Writer for the Daily Telegraph
“‘We need to be more mindful and regain a neutral stance,’ he states, claiming to be a healer. How ironic that he finds fault exclusively with ‘angry middle-aged white men.’”
“It’s intriguing that Neville would disdain the very people who work on his projects and support his lavish lifestyle through their Sky Sports subscriptions.”
“Neville epitomizes a celebrity so celebrated in his domain that he seems blind to perspectives that conflict with his own. Gary Lineker faced the same situation…”
“Neville is learning that opinions celebrated within his self-congratulatory pundit bubble often fall apart when encountering reality. As a result, his recent video has drawn derision rather than applause, with increasing viewer threats to boycott Sky in protest. Perhaps he now understands that one cannot present oneself as a voice of balance while criticizing the flying of the Union Flag as divisive and ignoring the Palestine Action protests that occurred shortly after the Manchester attack.”
“It’s particularly absurd that he invokes patriotism through the ‘I’ve represented my country 85 times’ argument. Those honors, achieved from 1995 to 2007, stemmed solely from his skill on the field, not from any allegiance to the Queen or the country. So, why does he believe he has the right to define patriotism for others? The answer is simple: hubris. Neville believes his status as a prominent football analyst grants him moral authority.”
“His reaction to the atrocities in his hometown may represent his most dangerous descent into self-parody. The issue isn’t merely the flawed logic of connecting an Islamist terrorist’s acts to enthusiasm for the Union Flag; it’s that he’s belittling his own audience. Why is he diminishing those who support him? Does he not realize he’s strayed so far out of his lane that he’s nearly in another dimension? The true issue, as has often been the case, isn’t about angry middle-aged white men, but rather multimillionaires like Gary, who wrongly assume their football accolades bestow moral superiority.”
Ross Clark, journalist for The Sun
“There was a time when Gary Neville didn’t seem so offended by our national flags.”
“While he was playing his 85 matches for England, I don’t recall him rushing to the stands to tear down St George’s Crosses or Union Jacks. He never objected to the enthusiastic fans painting red cross designs on their faces.”
“In a recent video, he proudly stated that he ordered the removal of a Union Flag from a construction site his company is managing in Manchester, justifying this by claiming that the flag was being utilized in a ‘negative’ manner by ‘angry middle-aged white men.’”
“I’m uncertain how one can display a Union Flag in a negative context.”
“Thus, we shouldn’t feel ashamed of our flag; instead, we should proudly display it from our homes and workplaces, especially if individuals like Gary Neville allow it.”
Simon Evans, Spiked columnist
“Now it seems middle-aged white men are fair game all year round. We are the antithesis of a protected demographic. Scape-gammon, if you like. Few would dare challenge Neville’s bigotry or hypocrisy, as he forgets who funded the lifestyle he’s enjoyed since the days of Major.”
“Neville hasn’t merely asked a few questions; he leaped into pure scape-squirrel territory. He has unjustly attributed blame for murders committed by a terrorist named Jihad to flag-waving middle-aged white men.”
Stephen Pollard, Telegraph
“In contemporary Britain, it appears one can assume any identity, save for the dreaded ‘middle-aged white man’—a category that also applies to Neville.”
