Gary Neville has been banned from working at the City Ground to cover Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea on Sunday, prompting a reaction from his old Manchester United team-mate David Beckham
David Beckham tried to see the funny side after Gary Neville was banned from working for Sky Sports at Nottingham Forest. The Premier League side have refused to give Neville accreditation for their final match of the season at home to Chelsea on Sunday due to comments he made about the club’s owner.
Neville had been slated to work as a co-commentator on the all-important match that will determine which teams qualify for the Champions League.
But he has been forced to withdraw after Forest made a stand following a row over criticism of Evangelos Marinakis in the wake of the dramatic scenes at the end of the draw against Leicester earlier this month.
Marinakis came onto the pitch to speak with Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo after striker Taiwo Awoniyi was forced off through injury, leaving the team with 10 men in the 2-2 draw.
It was later confirmed that Awoniyi had suffered a serious injury when colliding with the post, but in the immediate aftermath Neville was one of the pundits to criticise Marinakis.
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He posted on X: “Scandalous from that Forest owner. ‘Nuno should go and negotiate his exit tonight with him! The Forest fans, players and manager do not deserve that.” Forest have written to Sky Sports to register a formal complaint against the ex-Manchester United defender and refused to allow him entry on Sunday.
And while his Sky colleague Jamie Carragher responded to Neville’s response on Instagram with a succession of crying laughing emojis, Beckham wrote: “Must of been something to do with that 7 – 1 game back in the day” with a laughing emoji.
He was referring to the time United beat Forest 8-1 in February 1999, thanks in large part to four goals from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Neville and Beckham started the match in the season when United went on to famously win the treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.
Neville reacted by posting a statement on social media expressing his disappointment at Forest’s decision. “I was contacted by Sky Sports earlier on in the week and told that I would be commentating at the City Ground on Sunday for the Nottingham Forest v Chelsea match,” he wrote.
“I was informed yesterday by Sky Sports that Nottingham Forest would not give me an accreditation or access to the stadium as a co-commentator. I’ve had no choice but to withdraw from the coverage.
“I’ve dished out my fair share of criticism and praise in the last 14 years of doing this job and have never come close to this unprecedented action.
“Personally, I think it’s disappointing that a great club like Nottingham Forest have been reduced to making such a decision. Whilst they have every right to choose who they let into their own stadium, it’s symptomatic of things that have happened over the last 12 months with the club.
“I wish the coaching staff, players and fans of the club all the best in their quest to achieve Champions League football.”
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