Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker will take a step back from presenting "Match of the Day," the iconic British football show, following controversy about a tweet he wrote ...

Meanwhile, Dan Walker, a former BBC Breakfast and Football Focus presenter, tweeted: “I used to sit in for Gary Lineker on MOTD… “When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”

Former England striker Gary Lineker has faced criticism from members of the Conservative party after comparing the language used to launch a new Government ...

A lot of people feel very strongly about this, and they feel that if Lineker is being taken off air, they want nothing to do with Match of the Day on Saturday either." Why are sections of the media and the press just focussing on Lineker? "What about another member of the BBC board, Sir Robbie Gibb. "Now, the rules are a little bit different depending on what area of the BBC you work in. He is somebody who has helped to arrange an £800,000 loan for the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "The question is will he ever present Match of the Day again? "But of course, Lineker doesn't work in news of current affairs. A Labour source said: "The BBC's cowardly decision to take Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure. "It will now be interesting to see what happens with other presenters, pundits, analysts and commentators. We expect these individuals to avoid taking sides on party political issues or political controversies and to take care when addressing public policy matters." The statement continued: "When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. "Happy that this ridiculously out of proportion story seems to be abating and very much looking forward to presenting @BBCMOTD on Saturday.

Corporation takes its highest-paid presenter off air after criticism from Tory MPs and rightwing media.

I wasn’t down to be doing Match of the Day tomorrow, but if I was, I would of said no and stood with my fellow pundits and @GaryLineker.” Philippa Childs, head of the entertainment trade union Bectu which represents thousands of BBC workers, said the broadcaster’s decision was “deeply concerning”. The presenter and former Arsenal and England player Alex Scott also appeared to rule herself out of presenting Saturday’s edition of Match of the Day amid speculation that she might take over. Lineker’s comments dominated coverage of the government’s new asylum policy and were publicly criticised by a number of cabinet ministers. Sharp later claimed that he had acted “in good faith” as a “go-between”. “Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. Not me” alongside the caption: “FYI …” He likened the language used by ministers about asylum seekers to “that used by Germany in the 30s”, a [comparison labelled “offensive”](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/mar/09/gary-lineker-says-he-stands-by-remarks-about-immigration-policy-bbc) by the home secretary, Suella Braverman. A BBC spokesperson said Lineker would be off air until an agreement was reached on his future use of social media. Wright, the former England footballer and a regular co-presenter, swiftly said he would not be working on this Saturday’s Match of the Day as a result of Lineker’s suspension. “We are comforted that football fans who want to watch their teams should still be able to do so, as management can use World Feed commentary if they wish.”

Gary Lineker to temporarily to step back from role at Match of the Day after comparing the UK government's asylum policy to Nazi Germany.

“So Gary Lineker wants to continue to present Match Of The Day and is not apologising for what he has said,” Walker said on Channel 5, where he works, “but he has said it’s a BBC decision to force him to not present the programme at the moment”. Lineker will not present Match of the Day, the BBC said, “until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media”. “The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day,” the broadcaster said, “until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.

Lineker criticised the British government's new asylum policy in a Twitter post, comparing lawmakers' language about migrants to that used in Nazi Germany. The ...

The 62-year-old Lineker is a household name in Britain and one of the UK’s most influential media figures, with 8.7 million followers on Twitter. “Saturday’s Match of the Day will not have studio presenters or pundits after contributors pull out in solidarity with Gary Lineker,” the BBC’s Breaking News account on Twitter posted. Ian Wright, a former Arsenal and England player who works as a pundit on Match of the Day, said on Twitter he would also not be appearing on the program this weekend out of “solidarity” with Lineker.

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker is to step back from presenting the programme until an agreement is reached on his use of social media, the BBC sai.

We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines. Lineker tweeted on Thursday that he was “very much looking forward” to presenting Match Of The Day on Saturday. Pundit and former Arsenal striker Ian Wright has said he will not be appearing on Match of the Day on Saturday in “solidarity” with Gary Lineker. “The BBC 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. Gary Lineker will “step back” from presenting Match Of The Day until he and the BBC have reached an “agreed and clear position” on his use of social media. “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.”

Lineker was removed as presenter of BBC's Match of the Day show after criticising UK government's asylum-seeker policy.

He was the leading scorer at the 1986 World Cup and finished his international career with 48 goals in 80 matches for England. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order? In the interests of fairness could you please now ask [@Lord_Sugar]to step aside from [@bbcapprentice]. Otherwise people may wonder if you are truly impartial [@GaryLineker] [pic.twitter.com/GY2JurOiLy] “So Gary Lineker wants to continue to present ‘Match Of The Day’ and is not apologising for what he has said,” Walker said on Channel 5, where he works, “but he has said it’s a BBC decision to force him to not present the program at the moment”. Lineker has yet to make an official comment on his temporary dismissal, though one of his former BBC colleagues – Dan Walker – said he had been in contact with Lineker and asked him “whether he is stepping back or whether the BBC have told him to step back”.

Ex-director general says decision to suspend presenter for criticising government's asylum policies is mistaken.

And clearly the BBC has failed on that.” The decision led to displays of solidarity from Lineker’s co-hosts, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, who announced that they would not be participating in Saturday’s show. If you’re working for the BBC, you have a responsibility, when you’re public-facing … “I think what the BBC did yesterday was mistaken. Asked whether Lineker’s tweet was acceptable, he said: “We live in a world of freedom of speech and therefore, yes. “And once the BBC does that, then you’re in real problems.

Broadcaster pulls ex-footballer from sports programme after he compares government rhetoric over immigration to Nazi Germany.

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Ian Wright and Piers Morgan support BBC presenter's right to express views while Suella Braverman and Lee Anderson are critical.

Mike Graham Another TalkTV host, Graham called Lineker’s tweet “disgusting” and said he should apologise to people of Jewish heritage who had found it offensive. “The people who are paying Gary Lineker’s salary are licence fee payers and they do not all agree with Gary Lineker,” she said. “To kind of throw out those kind of flippant analogies diminishes the unspeakable tragedy that millions of people went through and I don’t think anything that is happening in the UK today can come close to what happened in the Holocaust.” Lee Anderson The Conservative party vice-chair called Lineker’s invocation of Nazi-era Germany “disgusting and vile”. “The perception out there is that the BBC has bowed to government pressure. Ian Wright After it was announced on Friday that Lineker would not be hosting Saturday’s Match of the Day (MOTD), his co-host Wright said he wouldn’t be appearing either.

Alex Scott, the host of the BBC's "Football Focus" TV programme, pulled out of the show after Gary Lineker was taken off air.

This is a common sense decision that ensures players won't now be in that position." In the interest of transparency, this was a decision taken by the entire FT team and myself." "The PFA have been speaking to members who wanted to take a collective position and to be able to show their support for those who have chosen not to be part of tonight's programme," the PFA said in a statement.

Gary Lineker, the BBC's highest-paid presenter, compared the government's asylum policy to rhetoric used by Nazi Germany.

Lineker was deemed to have broken BBC impartiality rules last October after tweeting his views on the Conservative Party accepting donations from Russia. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines. “When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. The BBC said Lineker had “additional responsibility” because of his high profile and reminded him that employees should “avoid taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.” Some called for him to be suspended. Lineker has repeatedly defended his original tweets.

Pundits Ian Wright and Alan Shearer and regular commentators say they will not appear on Saturday.

He is employed by the BBC on a freelance basis. "The BBC is not acting impartially by caving in to Tory MPs who are complaining about Gary Lineker," he told broadcasters at Welsh Labour's conference in Llandudno. He said the government should focus on fixing the asylum system rather than "whingeing on" about Lineker and accused BBC bosses of bowing to pressure from ministers. Lineker reacted to it on Twitter calling it an "immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s". Mr Dyke warned the move could create the impression that the "BBC has bowed to government pressure". "The real problem today is that the BBC has undermined its own credibility by doing this," he told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The BBC is facing a boycott of its flagship soccer show "Match of the Day," as well as other soccer coverage, following its announcement that presenter Gary ...

But the decision to take Gary Lineker off air is indefensible. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?” Lots of non Public Service Broadcasters can accommodate him and his views and he would be better paid.” “I honestly do not believe, despite a lot of the commentary, that this is about left or right,” Davie said. [tweeted](https://twitter.com/NicolaSturgeon/status/1634258493954727949): “As a strong supporter of public service broadcasting, I want to be able to defend the BBC. “It’s always such a privilege to work with BBC MOTD. But tomorrow I have taken the decision to stand down from my punditry duties. In an interview with BBC News on Saturday, the broadcaster’s Director General Tim Davie was asked if he should resign over the crisis. “The PFA have been speaking to members who wanted to take a collective position and to be able to show their support for those who have chosen not to be part of tonight’s programme,” the statement added. [announced](https://twitter.com/PFA/status/1634490666276323328/photo/1) on Saturday “players involved in today’s games will not be asked to participate in interviews with Match of the Day.” He added: “There is no huge influx. “The BBC will only be able to bring limited sport programming this weekend and our schedules will be updated to reflect that,” a BBC spokesperson said in a statement Saturday.

Labour's Keir Starmer accuses broadcaster of 'caving in' to Tories. BRITAIN-POLITICS-FBL-ENG-PR-IMMIGRATION ...

Current BBC Director General Tim Davie previously stood as a councilor for the Conservative Party in Hammersmith, a London constituency. The links between the BBC and the U.K.’s governing Conservative Party run deep. “We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon,” a spokesperson said. “Match of the Day” — a flagship BBC football show for Premier League fans — finds itself without regulars Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, Jermaine Jenas, Micah Richards and Jermain Defoe, who all pledged to stand by Lineker in the dispute. The corporation’s chairman, Richard Sharp, was previously outed as having facilitated an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson, the former U.K. BBC Radio 5 Live’s football build-up transmission was ditched minutes before airing, as other leading hosts and pundits joined forces against the broadcaster’s disciplining of Lineker. “They got this one badly wrong and now they’re very, very exposed.” He is on a reported £1.35 million-a-year salary. government’s new policy on illegal migrants with the language of Nazi Germany. The bill has been He has been told to “ Calls of hypocrisy were also leveled at the U.K.

As a growing number of Premier League players and presenters rallied to Lineker's support, Britain's national broadcaster was forced to rip up its radio and ...

Last year, the BBC found Lineker had breached impartiality rules with a tweet about the Conservatives’ alleged Russian donations. Lunchtime TV program “Football Focus” was replaced on Saturday with a rerun episode of antiques show “Bargain Hunt,” while early evening “Final Score” was swapped for “The Repair Shop.” We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon.” He was greeted with cheers from bystanders as he arrived. There will not be any post-match player interviews, either. [was suspended](https://apnews.com/article/gary-lineker-bbc-migrants-comments-braverman-86e76bdcec9d9c6773a3a87d5943422b) from “Match of the Day,” a popular highlights show, over a [lawmakers’ language about migrants](https://apnews.com/article/uk-migrants-channel-asylum-human-rights-braverman-497fc05aa4056bc3fdb2b5ba381931c1) to that used in Nazi Germany.

The broadcaster is scrambling to stem outrage over its suspension of former football star and TV host Gary Lineker for comments criticising the British ...

Last year, the BBC found Lineker had breached impartiality rules with a tweet about the Conservatives’ alleged Russian donations. Lineker has yet to comment publicly, and on Saturday went to his hometown of Leicester to watch Leicester City play Chelsea. On Friday, the BBC said Lineker would “step back” from Match of the Day until “we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media”. We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon”. Lunchtime TV programme Football Focus was replaced on Saturday with a rerun episode of antiques show Bargain Hunt, while early evening Final Score was swapped for The Repair Shop. There will not be any post-match player interviews, either.