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Has Gary Neville taken his eye off the ball?

Gary Neville in action as a pundit (Getty images)

‘Enough’, said Gary Neville this week as he (once again) attacked Boris Johnson. The ex-footballer is no stranger to attacking the Tories: in the past few months, the former England right-back has dubbed Johnson a ‘liar’, bizarrely suggested that the PM is a ‘spaghetti bolognese of a man’ and accused the Government of ‘incompetency’. 

Neville is clearly a busy man: as well as his day job talking about football, he is listed as a director for 56 firms

Even football fans aren’t safe from Neville’s bit-part political punditry. During England’s Euro 2020 semi-final win this summer, when the whole country was (briefly) united for once, he interjected to suggest that Gareth Southgate, the England manager, had shown more leadership than the Prime Minister. But while Neville’s career as a Tory attack dog appears to be taking off, is he in danger of taking his eye off the ball elsewhere?

Mr S only asks because one of the many, many companies which list Neville as a director has failed to file its accounts on time. As a result, the curiously-named ‘The man behind the curtain (Leeds) limited’ could soon be struck off as it passed its deadline at the end of September to file its accounts for the previous year. The firm lists Neville as one of two directors alongside chef Michael O’Hare, who runs Leeds’ only Michelin-starred restaurant under the same name.

Neville is clearly a busy man: as well as his day job talking about football, he is listed as a director for 56 firms. Some are involved in hotels, developing building projects, education and management consultancy. Not all these firms remain active, but even so, having dozens of business interests is surely enough to keep Neville’s hands full.

Perhaps it is time for Neville to take a break from burnishing his comradely credentials to get his own house in order?

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