Gary Neville has opened up about how close the England players were to going on strike in 2003, revealing that the vote was unanimous. The former Manchester United defender spoke for the first time with Rio Ferdinand on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast about the controversy that erupted when Ferdinand was handed an eight-month ban for a missed drugs test in December 2003.
The Strike Vote
Neville revealed that he approached then-captain David Beckham to gather the squad after the Football Association suspended Ferdinand before his hearing. The players held an anonymous vote on whether to strike if Ferdinand was not reinstated. According to Neville, the result was unanimous in favour of strike action, despite some players later claiming they voted against it.
“England suspended you and banned you before the actual hearing, which was post-tournament,” Neville said. “I went to see Becks, who was the captain, and I said we need to get all the players together because I feel quite strongly about it. We got all the players together. We had an anonymous vote, and it was unanimous. There are a couple of players who have come out since and said they voted against it, but they are lying. It was unanimous that we would all go on strike. It didn’t help you in the end.”
Ferdinand's Gratitude
Ferdinand expressed his appreciation for the support, acknowledging the risk players took. “I have never said thanks, but thanks for that. It didn’t get me anywhere, but it was a big risk for a player to do that. I really appreciate it,” he said.
Aftermath
Despite the strike threat, the England squad eventually travelled to Turkey for their Euro 2004 qualifier. They secured a 0-0 draw, enough to qualify for the tournament, where they were eliminated by Portugal on penalties in the quarter-finals. Ferdinand missed Euro 2004 due to his ban, which also included a £50,000 fine.
Neville, speaking to MUTV at the time, expressed his disbelief at the sentence: “I couldn’t believe the sentence and it sickened me, to be honest. All you ask for, whether you are at school or at work, is to be treated like the next guy. But that hasn’t happened with Rio and I think he was compromised after the FA left him out of the England squad. People make mistakes and he has done wrong, but he has our full support.”
