Simon Jordan blasts Gary Neville as a ‘hypocrite’ and a ‘wally’ for rant about UK worker’s rights at Qatar World Cup and invites Manchester United legend onto talkSPORT to ‘put him in his place’

Simon Jordan has invited Gary Neville onto talkSPORT so he can put the pundit ‘in his place’ after his ‘hypocritical’ rant during the World Cup final.

With millions tuning in to watch Argentina and France do battle for the world crown on Sunday, Neville chose that moment to air his view about workers' rights in the UK.

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He launched into a tirade, saying how ‘we should detest low pay, we should detest poor accommodation and poor working conditions, and that is something we can never accept in this region or in any region’.

He also compared the issue of workers' rights in Qatar to the ongoing issues over pay back home in the UK, with the NHS, Royal Mail and rail workers recently going on strike - leading to a riposte from prime minister Rishi Sunak.

And Jordan has also hit back at the Manchester United legend, saying that while he is entitled to his views, airing them during a World Cup final broadcast was not the time or place.

And he pointed out the irony of Neville choosing to make his comments with ITV and not in his role with Qatar state broadcast beIN Sport during the tournament.

The White and Jordan host said: “Gary has strong opinions and he’s entitled to his views, and this argument that is regularly made of ‘stick to the football’ is probably wrong.

“But in this instance the reason why that is right is because we were watching a football show, we were watching a World Cup final, so we really didn’t need Gary and his views.

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And it was ironic, too, because he’s over there being paid by beIN Sports, the broadcaster of Qatar, not saying this on their platform but having the courage to say it on ITV, so there's an element of irony there.

“It’s an obscene comparison between the worker’s rights in the early stages of the change in Qatar that are now being brought up to satisfactory standards, with the rights in this country. It’s a horrendous comparison, it's a disingenuous one and a duplicitous one.

“Gary is entitled to his political views and we know what they are, we know that he’s a card carrying Corbynite, Trotskyist nincompoop at times, but he is entitled to his views and he can do it on different shows - like when he went on Have I Got News For You and got his head handed to him and he got called out for being a ridiculous hypocrite for railing the Qatari World Cup and the regimes over there, whilst taking their money by working for beIN.

“The tragedy of this is the idea that Gary Neville has some relevance in his [political] opinion, and tragically some people think he does.”

It appears Jordan and Neville came to blows while they were both in the Gulf state during the World Cup, and the talkSPORT host issued an invitation to the pundit to join him and Jim White on air so they can properly have it out.

We’d all like to see that, wouldn’t we?

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“He had a lot to say to me out in Qatar until he got put in his place by me on the padel tennis court,” added Jordan, “when he was playing padel with the people he purports to vilify - i.e. the people who paid him to be over there - so he’s a bleedin’ hypocrite.

“Gary Neville is a very, very good football pundit and, when he talks about matters on the field, I think he is amongst the very best.

“But when it comes to his other opinions, he is entitled to them, but they don’t need to be on a football show. 

“And if you’re going to have these views about the regime, why didn’t you do it on beIN? Because it didn’t suit you, because you were getting paid the ridiculous sum you’re being paid to be there.

“I fall into this trap sitting here, because I get sucked into the conversation about what Gary Neville said. We could debunk his arguments in a New York minute. He wouldn’t come on the show because he wouldn’t be able to stand them up and he wouldn’t be able to defend himself. 

“He can’t back up his views, he’s all mouth and trousers.

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"There is an element that what Gary says at times has relevance, but that was not the time or place. And I think some of what he says is preposterous nonsense, and I told him that in Qatar.

“I think he’s wally and I don’t really care about him. I couldn’t care less what his opinions are, but I certainly didn’t turn on the World Cup to hear it from a hypocrite.

“If you want to have those opinions and you want to be the mayor of Manchester, off you go son, in your little socialist millionaire lifestyle you have with your wealthy friends like Peter Lim, who you get to come over and run football clubs because you don’t want to put anywhere near your own pocket and you want to have those views, that’s fine! But not on a football show when people are tuning in to watch the World Cup!

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“I’m disappointed Sunak even felt the need to respond because it gives what Gary says gravitas. Just don’t answer the question. You know what he should have said? ‘Who’s Gary Neville?’

“He’s not worthy of triggering people, and I’d welcome the opportunity to bring him in here so we can take his pants down and put him in his place.”