BBC Match Of The Day To Go On Despite Gary Lineker Backlash

The BBC has seen a lot of backlash and negative reaction from pundits regarding its handling of former Barcelona star, Gary Lineker situation to criticizing the British government’s affairs.

The BBC has confirmed that Match of the Day will still be aired despite a boycott by some of its pundits. The statement from the broadcasting company followed criticism of Gary Lineker, who had linked the government’s new asylum policy to Nazi Germany on his social media platform.

The former England striker had tweeted that the policy was “immeasurably cruel” and used “language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.” As a result, the BBC released a statement announcing that Lineker would step back from his role as presenter of Match of the Day until an agreed and clear position was established regarding his use of social media.

In solidarity with Lineker, several of the programme’s pundits, including Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, and Alex Scott, decided not to appear on the show. Wright 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.”

In response to the boycott, the BBC confirmed that the programme would go ahead, but without studio presentation or punditry. The statement read: “Some of our pundits have said that they don’t wish to appear on the programme while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary. We understand their position, and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry.”

It is unclear when the normal format of the show will return and whether Lineker will resume his role as presenter in the near future. The boycott and subsequent decision by the BBC to air the programme without pundits highlight the ongoing debate surrounding the use of social media by public figures and the impact it has on their professional roles.