Harry Maguire spoke volumes by saying less when asked whether he could run the country better than the Conservative Party after being used in a cringe social media post on Tuesday. The Tories have been mocked this week after an attempt at humour on X (formerly Twitter) painfully backfired.
Plans for an independent football regulator, initially announced in February 2023, accelerated when the Football Governance Bill was introduced in Parliament on Tuesday.
A fan-led review in 2022 said a regulator was necessary for the long-term financial stability of the men’s professional game, from the Premier League to the National League.
The legislation – independent of the government and football authorities – would counter any future moves to start a breakaway European Super League and work to prevent financial mismanagement.
On Tuesday, the Conservatives posted a viral picture of Maguire leaning over a barrier to talk to his wife, Fern, at the 2018 World Cup, captioned: “Rishi said any League with me in it would be Super anyways.”
X users collectively cringed at the post, which didn’t receive the comedic response the creator likely intended.
Maguire has since revealed that he didn’t give the Conservatives his permission to use the photo and wasn’t aware of the post.
“No, they have had no permission. I didn’t even know about the advert, to be honest,” the Manchester United defender explained.
He then landed a subtle jab on the Tories by laughing and responding “no comment” when asked whether he could do a better job running the United Kingdom than current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Sunak has described the introduction of an independent regular in professional football as a “historic moment for fans”.
He added: “It will make sure their voices are front and centre. Football has long been one of our greatest sources of national pride.
“But for too long, some clubs have been abused by unscrupulous owners who get away with financial mismanagement, which at worst can lead to complete collapse – as we saw in the upsetting cases of Bury and Macclesfield Town.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, former Health Minister Matt Hancock claimed that footballers should “play their part” by accepting a pay cut.
Maguire certainly did play his part, not under Hancock’s advice, by launching a players’ campaign with the Professional Footballers’ Association alongside England team-mate Jordan Henderson.
Players helped raise funds and donated significant sums of money to help key workers, including those in the NHS risking their lives on the front line.
