Neville has always been very vocal on social media, with his criticisms of both the British government and the upcoming Qatar World Cup, which starts next month. He also has strong ties to the Labour Party and appeared at their recent party conference.
These credentials are why many people are unhappy with Neville, with many feeling he is a hypocrite, by going against what he believes in to work at the World Cup. Neville has, however, knocked back these claims, insisting that he will use his platform to highlight the human rights abuses currently taking place in Qatar.
As of now, Qatar still has a ban on homosexuality, with fines, prison sentences and even the death penalty being given to people who are found to be homosexual. The country has also been condemned for its lack of human rights, especially towards women. Male permission is needed for women to marry, work in government roles, act as a child’s primary guardian and many other things. These issues, of course, go against a lot of what Neville stands for in his social media views, leading to much of his criticism.
many feeling he is a hypocrite
The Qatar World Cup itself has also been criticised, mainly because of the treatment of workers building stadiums in which the matches will be played. While there is no exact number of deaths, as of 2021, 6500 workers had died whilst constructing stadia. Neville has spoken out against, as well as the tournament being held in winter which disrupts the usual football calendar.
Neville isn’t the only ex-footballer working in Qatar, with David Beckham signing a multi-million-pound deal to be the face of this year's World Cup. Neville is Beckham’s good friend and failed to question his former teammate about the decision when he interviewed him for ‘The Overlap’; Neville’s show.
Despite criticism, Neville has confirmed his presence at the World Cup. What hasn’t been confirmed however is Neville’s salary, with rumours suggesting it could reach as high as a six-figure sum.