The BBC has been forced to cancel much of its weekend sports program as the network struggles to contain the escalating crisis over the suspension of football host Gary Lineker over comments criticizing the British government’s new asylum policy.
As many English Premier League players and BBC presenters rallied in support of Lineker and refused to appear on the airwaves there, Britain’s national broadcaster faced allegations of politics and suppressing free speech, as well as praise from some Conservative politicians.
The broadcaster said it would air only “limited sports programming” this weekend after hosts from many popular sports shows refused to appear, in solidarity with Lineker. The former England captain was suspended from “Match of the Day,” a popular soccer highlight show, over a Twitter post that compared lawmakers’ language about migrants to that used in Nazi Germany.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made his first comments about the storm, saying: “Gary Lineker is a great footballer and a talented presenter. I hope the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in time. It is right for them, not the government.”
Instead of Saturday’s blanket coverage of the world’s most popular league, the BBC has no preview shows on radio or TV and no evening summaries of the final scores of Premier League games. Lunchtime TV program “Football Focus” was replaced with a rerun of the antique show “Bargain Hunt,” while the afternoon “Final Score” was replaced with “The Repair Shop.”
Football fans for “Match of the Day” – the late-night program that has been a British institution for 60 years – will get a 20-minute show instead of the usual half-hour. There will be no match commentary and no studio punditry from some of the English game’s top stars who have chosen to back Lineker and not use him.
There will be no post-match player interviews, either. The Professional Footballers’ Association said some players wanted to boycott the show, and as a result “players involved in the current game will not be asked to participate in interviews with ‘Match of The Day.'”
The union said it was a “common sense solution” to prevent players from being sanctioned for breaching their broadcasting commitments.
The BBC said it is “sorry for this change which we know will be disappointing for BBC sports fans. We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon.”
Lineker, 62, is a household name in England even before he became a “Match of the Day” presenter in 1999.
One of England’s most lauded footballers, he was top scorer at the 1986 World Cup and finished his international career with 48 goals in 80 matches for England.
After retiring from a career that included stints with Barcelona, Tottenham, Everton and Leicester, Lineker has become one of the most influential media figures in England and the highest-paid star of the BBC, earning 1.35 million pounds ($1.6 million) a year the past
An enthusiastic social media user with 8.7 million Twitter followers, Lineker has long drawn ire from centre-right politicians and activists with liberal views, including criticism of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union.
The latest controversy began with a tweet on Tuesday from Lineker’s account that described the government’s plan to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat as “a cruel policy aimed at the most vulnerable people in a language not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30 -an..”
The Conservative government called Lineker’s Nazi comparison offensive and unacceptable, and some MPs said he should be sacked.
In a statement on Saturday, Sunak reiterated his party’s policy.
“As Prime Minister,” he said, “I have to do what I believe is right, respecting that not everyone will always agree. That’s why I have an unequivocal approach to stop the boat.”
Sunak says it’s the only way to “break this cycle of suffering once and for all.”
“There is no easy answer to solve this problem,” he added, “but I believe leadership is about taking the hard decisions to fix problems. I know not everyone will agree, but I believe it is fair and right.”
On Friday, the BBC said Lineker would “step back” from “Match of the Day” until an “agreed and clear position is reached on his use of social media.” Lineker has yet to comment publicly, and on Saturday traveled to his hometown of Leicester to watch Leicester City play Chelsea in the Premier League. He was greeted with cheers from the crowd when he arrived for the match which Chelsea won 3-1.
The 100-year-old BBC, which is funded by a license fee paid by all households with a television, has a duty to be impartial in its news coverage, and BBC news staff are prohibited from expressing political opinions.
Lineker, as a freelancer who does not work in news or current affairs, is not bound by the same rules, and has sometimes pushed the boundaries of what the BBC considers acceptable. Last year, the BBC found Lineker had breached impartiality rules by tweeting about alleged Russian donations to the Conservatives.
The BBC’s neutrality has come under fresh scrutiny over revelations that its chairman, Richard Sharp – a Conservative Party donor – helped arrange a loan for Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021, a few weeks before Sharp was appointed to the BBC post on the government’s recommendation.
Former BBC Director General Greg Dyke said the network had “undermined its own credibility” by appearing to bow to government pressure.
Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labor Party, said the BBC was “causing” political pressure from Conservative MPs.
“He’s one of these and now it’s very visible,” he said.