Gary Neville hits back in spat with anti-vaxxer ex-footballer Rickie Lambert after he accused him of backing ‘corrupt government’s plan’ for an independent football regulator

Gary Neville was drawn into a bizarre back-and-forth on social media with controversial ex-footballer Rickie Lambert over plans for an independent football regulator. 

The government has revealed plans to bring in an independent regulator for English football, but UEFA has pushed back and even threatened to prevent England from taking part in international tournaments.

Neville, who has long been a proponent of bringing in an independent regulator, branded UEFA’s threat as nothing more than ‘scaremongering’.

‘They will do anything to stop it coming in and are happy to create misinformation and apply soft power in the right places in the meantime,’ Neville wrote on X.

‘The Regulator will have no impact at all on the quality of the Premier League yet will importantly protect the wider game and pyramid.’

Former England international Rickie Lambert took aim at Neville and the UK government

Neville has long been an advocate for independent regulators in English football

Lambert, who has previously called for doctors and nurses who carried out Covid vaccinations on children to be arrested, fired back at Neville.

‘It’s becoming clear exactly who and what you are @GNev2’, Lambert said on X.

‘Instead of using the footballing community to come together and stop what is being implemented onto us, you are using your position to try and persuade them to accept the corrupt, cowardly shadow governments plan to destroy our way of life and society.’

Neville responded: ‘You ok Rickie?’ along with two laughing emojis.

Eager to make his point clear, Lambert replied: ‘I’m good Gary, you seen what your mates doing to this country? Why would you let them anywhere near our game?’

A user responded to Lambert and pointed out Neville was only talking about an independent regulator and had not mentioned the government.

Lambert clapped back: ‘Just like the independent Covid enquiry!’

The former Southampton and Liverpool forward has often used his social media to share a number of conspiracy theories, one of which was that vaccine shots contained ‘cancer virus’.

Neville believes an independent regulator will protect the English football pyramid

Lambert believes Neville is trying to get people to ‘accept the corrupt government’s plan’

The exchange continued between the pair as Neville asked Lambert if he was doing OK

Lambert once again took aim at Neville and the government in his follow-up message

The former Southampton striker continued his tirade with a reply to another user’s post

Lambert also voiced his opinion on the concept of 15-minute cities, which he is staunchly against.

The idea of a 15-minute city is an urban planning concept in which every service a resident would need is within a 15-minute walking distance or bicycle ride.

However, some theorists believe 15-minute cities exist for the sole purpose of controlling people’s movement for climate change.

Lambert attended a rally in September 2023 where protestors campaigned against Liverpool Council’s new model in which they would divide the city into 13 neighbourhoods.

The former England international implored councillors who went into a meeting about the new-look neighbourhood system to ‘please listen to us’.

‘Please listen to us, I’m not sure whether you actually know, you might actually believe it’s for the better of this city, but we are urging you to look at the bigger picture at what’s going around the world,’ Lambert said.

‘This is planned by all governments to bring down everything.’