NEVILLE SLAMS THE FA

“The decisions are absolutely shocking. In this country we don't look after our own. But, to be honest, I didn't expect anything else.

“I don't think there are people within The FA who can understand their own disciplinary system, it's an incredible system to be honest. Everybody has known it for many years and nothing changes. It still continues to be unfair. Nobody seems to be brought to task over the decisions.

“We seem to shoot our own. Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes are two players everybody wants to see play football. Obviously The FA had to deal with the procedure coming over from the Dutch FA, but why didn't they just throw it in the bin, I just don't know.

“It's an injustice to be sent off in the first place, for me. Nothing will change until somebody puts their head above the table and says I'm going to change this. Somebody has to some day, but it doesn't seem to be happening now.

“In years gone by, the referee would have had a word with the coach to say look watch him and the manager might take him off. That happened when I first came into the first team, there was more common sense. More and more nowadays it's being removed from football.

“Referees, I understand and accept, are under a lot of pressure and maybe think they've got to do it by the book. They will also be applauded if they used common sense and maybe had a word with the manager, especially in pre-season. You don't want to see people banned at the start of the season for what happened in a friendly.”