Neville slates FA disciplinary system

Gary Neville has hit out at the Football Association’s “erratic” disciplinary procedures used to hand Manchester United defender Patrice Evra a four-match ban.

Evra is still upset at the decision, which followed an FA hearing into the so-called ’Battle of Stamford Bridge’ last season, when the Frenchman clashed with Chelsea groundstaff.

United manager Alex Ferguson’s annoyance increased even further when he discovered details of the case, condemning the conduct of his full-back, plus assistant-boss Mike Phelan, had been posted on the FA website.

As a senior figure within the Professional Footballers’ Association, Neville has extensive knowledge of FA practises. But the Red Devils' skipper just gets more confused the more he analyses them.

“The disciplinary process is, at best, erratic,” he said.

“You need consistency, which means you need the same people sitting at hearings all the time, professionals who understand the game, who understand the passion of the game, the human element of the game.

“You need sensible people but that doesn’t always happen.”