The BBC announced on Friday the withdrawal of its star presenter Gary Lineker, after a tweet by the former England footballer comparing the government’s language on refugees to that of 1930s Germany.
After the announcement on Tuesday by the Conservative government of a new bill aimed at preventing migrants arriving by the English Channel from seeking asylum in the United Kingdom, Gary Lineker, very active on Twitter, had denounced on this social network ” a cruel policy aimed at the most vulnerable, in a language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s”.
An offensive tweet against the government
The words of the 62-year-old former England striker, followed by nearly 9 million Internet users, sparked a lively controversy in a tense context around immigration issues but also recurring criticism of impartiality aimed at public broadcasting from the British right.
The BBC then said it would “talk” to the presenter of “Match Of The Day”, a very popular football show broadcast every Saturday since 1964.
On Friday, the audiovisual group said it considered “the recent activities (of Mr. Lineker) on social networks as a violation of the instructions”. “The BBC has decided that he (Gary Lineker) will withdraw from presenting Match Of The Day until we have a clear agreement with him on his use of social networks”, it is specified.
In response, former English striker, notably for Arsenal, Ian Wright said he would not participate in the show on Saturday, where he usually acts as an expert. “Everyone knows what Match Of The Day means to me, but I told the BBC I won’t be there tomorrow,” he said on Friday, along with Alan Shearer, another iconic figure of the show.
Solidarity of soccer players
After the outcry caused by his tweet, Gary Lineker had repeated that he assumed his words. On Thursday, he tweeted that he was “very excited” to present his show on Saturday. Gary Lineker, 48 goals in the English jersey until his retirement in 1994, has presented since 1999 the program “Match Of The Day” on the BBC. Nicknamed “Mr Nice” for his impeccable behavior throughout his career, he has since become a star presenter and expresses his political positions without restraint, in particular against Brexit and pro-migrants.
The new bill, which according to the government aims to put an end to the illegal arrival of migrants through the Channel, has been criticized by the UN and multiple human rights associations. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has thus accused London of wanting to “end the right of asylum”.