Three men have been arrested after Salford City’s game against Oldham Athletic was disrupted by pitch invaders carrying England flags in a protest claimed to be against co-owner Gary Neville.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed three men had been arrested on suspicion of entering the field of play, which falls under the football offences act.
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Neville said earlier this month that Union flags were being used in a “negative fashion” and criticised what he described as “angry, middle-aged, white men” for sowing division.
Footage appears to show individuals entering the pitch holding England flags during Salford’s 1-0 League Two win over Oldham on Saturday, with one attempting to plant a flag in the centre circle. The individuals were removed from the field by security at Moor Lane.
British far-right political party Britain First claimed on social media that it had planned the protest and posted a video of the incident, where some members of the crowd appear to be wearing clothing with the words “Gary Neville is a traitor” before climbing over the barrier on to the pitch.
Salford declined to comment when approached by The Athletic.
Alongside former Manchester United team-mates Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt, Neville agreed a deal to purchase Salford in 2014, subsequently selling a 50 per cent stake in the club to billionaire Peter Lim. After Lim left the club in 2024, Neville and David Beckham led a consortium that completed a takeover of the side in March 2025.
The increasing use of the St George’s Cross and Union flag across Britain has been linked to the far right in the wake of a number of anti-immigration protests.
In a video posted on social media on October 5, Neville said: “I just kept thinking as I was driving home last night that we’re all being turned on each other and the division that’s being created is absolutely disgusting. Mainly created by angry middle-aged white men who know exactly what they’re doing.
“Funnily enough on one of my development sites last week there was a Union Jack flag put up and I took it down instantly.
“Some people might be watching this and thinking: ‘Gary you’re not really patriotic.’ I’ve played for my country 85 times, I love my country, I love Manchester and I love England, but I’ve been building in this city for 15-20 years and there’s no one put a Union Jack flag up in the last 15-20 years so why do you need to put one up now?
“The Union Jack flag used in a negative fashion is not right and I’m a proud supporter of England, of Great Britain, of our country and will champion it anywhere in the world as one of the greatest places to live, but I think we need to check ourselves, check ourselves and start to think about bringing ourselves back to a neutral point because we’re being pulled right and left and we don’t need to be pulled right and left at all.”
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