"he should keep well away from taking sides"
After receiving criticism for his tweets criticising the government’s migrant policy, Gary Lineker will step away from BBC’s Match of the Day.
The BBC have told him to step away from presenting duties until an “agreed and clear position” has been reached on his social media use.
Earlier this week, Gary Lineker compared the new immigration policy to the strategies used by Nazi Germany.
The BBC wrote the following after posting a Home Office video showing Suella Braverman:
“There is no huge influx.
“We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
“This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in a language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”
On March 10, 2023, the BBC stated that it thought his “recent social media activity” had violated the rules and that he should “avoid taking sides in party political or political controversies”.
The BBC had “extensive discussions with Gary and team in recent days” and “has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media”.
In an official statement, a spokesperson said:
“When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none.
“We have never said that Gary should be an opinion-free zone, or that he can’t have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.”
Following the announcement, fellow Match of the Day pundit Ian Wright said he will not appear on the show in solidarity.
He tweeted:
“Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity.”
Alan Shearer, who also presents on the show, said he had “informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night”.
Several others have offered their support, including Gary Neville, who said:
“You’re more than good!”
Speaking about Ian Wright, Neville added:
“I had no doubt Ian Wright would do that! Who the hell is going to go on now?”
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government announced new plans to stop migrants arriving by boat in recent weeks.
The new legislation will stop those using unofficial routes from claiming asylum while people who arrive in the UK without authorisation will be deported.
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