Gary Neville has hit out at the BBC over their treatment of his brother Phil’s media career.
The pair enjoyed solid careers on the pitch, sharing a staggering 14 Premier League titles between them.
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Gary and Phil Neville forged out glittering careers during their playing days
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Gary has gone on to become a popular pundit since hanging up his bootsCredit: Getty
The brothers accumulated over 1,200 top-flight appearances throughout their playing days before trying their hand in punditry.
Gary kicked off his broadcasting career on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football alongside Jamie Carragher before going on to become a household name on the Channel’s Premier League coverage as a studio analyst and co-commentator.
Phil, however, has struggled to cement himself as a pundit after retiring from football in 2013.
He was handed the opportunity to share his wisdom with the BBC and was included as part of the their commentary team at the 2014 World Cup.
But his debut appearance drew complaints from viewers who described his input as ‘dull’.
In a recent episode of Stick to Football, Gary opened up on the treatment dished out to his younger brother.
“I thought it was scandalous the way he was treated in his early media career, the way people commented on it,” Gary said.
Fellow Stick to Football panelist Ian Wright suggested Phil was ‘hung out’ to dry, to which Gary replied: “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,” Gary added.
Upon landing at Sky, Gary was afforded time to settle into the role as he figured out his new surroundings, something he feels Phil wasn’t given.
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Phil Neville came in for strong criticism from BBC viewers after his co-commentary debutCredit: Getty
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Gary passionately opened up on Phil’s treatment by the BBCCredit: STick to football
“Sky, with me, when I first joined… it’s still the worst thing I do now, co-commentary, it’s the toughest thing I do.
“They put me on eight games, 10 games, that were like, Fulham against Blackburn. I remember doing that game on a Sunday.
“Not a lot of people are watching but it beds you in, it eases you in. Villa against [Manchester] City, which wasn’t a big game back then. I did loads of games on MUTV.
“They (Sky) put me on a big game in March, it took them eight, nine months of trialling me and testing me and feeding back to me and being harsh on me by the way.
“I had loads of advice,” Gary revealed. “To give Michael Owen Premier League games on TNT first up, and to give Phil that World Cup… honestly, you are throwing a lamb into the lions’ den.”
Following his disastrous World Cup debut match, Phil continued his work with the BBC for the remainder of the tournament in Brazil and commentated on three other matches.
But his venture was a short-lived one. He called time on punditry in 2018 before taking up a managerial role with the Lionesses and later, Inter Miami.
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Phil has since turned to management with the Lionesses, Inter Miami and more recently Portland TimbersCredit: Getty
He is currently the manager of MLS side Portland Timbers.
The Timbers currently sit seventh in the Western Conference standings and are well placed to qualify for the MLS playoffs which kick off in October.