He was an icon as a player and an institution as a football expert. But for the time being, Gary Lineker will no longer be on the air for the BBC as usual. The former national player has been presenting the highlight show there since 1999 match of the day. After a dispute over a tweet by the ex-star striker, the BBC announced on Friday that the 62-year-old was resting his job. On Twitter, where he has more than eight million followers, Lineker compared the language of the British government on migration policy with that of Germany in the 1930s.
According to the BBC, Lineker’s words were “a jab at our policies,” demanding that he “refrain from taking sides on partisan issues or political controversies.” Before Lineker can act as a football expert again, a “clear position” on his future use of social media must be found. Politicians such as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Interior Minister Suella Braverman had also expressed outrage. Several Conservative MPs had called for the football commentator to be sacked, including Craig Mackinlay, who told the newspaper telegraph called Lineker’s comment “evil, ill-conceived and shameful”.
With the tweet, ex-national player Lineker criticized the British government’s plans to initially detain migrants who enter the country without official permission in accommodation and later to expel them to Rwanda or other countries. He has so far refused an apology and emphasized in an interview with TV reporters on Thursday that he “naturally” stands by his comparison.
Alan Shearer and Ian Wright, both also former England internationals, have announced they will be there on Saturday match of the day due to the Lineker controversy. “I told the BBC I won’t be there tomorrow. Solidarity,” Wright tweeted.