Gary Lineker taken off air from BBC presenter role at Match of the Day

Gary Lineker has been taken off air from his duties at Match of the Day.

A Sky News report contradicts tonight’s BBC statement that the pundit was ‘stepping back’ from his presenting duties; Lineker is refusing to apologise for comments comparing UK immigration measures to 1930s Germany.

NEW: Sky News understands the BBC statement on Gary Lineker is incorrect.

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That Lineker has not agreed to 'step back', and has instead been taken off air as he is unwilling to apologise for his comments this week on social media.

— Matthew Thompson (@mattuthompson) March 10, 2023

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Piers Morgan has since heaped scorn on the BBC:

WTF? How pathetically spineless.. I now demand the BBC suspend every presenter who has made public comment about news or current affairs – starting with Sir David Attenborough and Lord Sugar. https://t.co/7DRtFEOAVa

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 10, 2023

Lineker’s TV colleague Ian Wright has refused to appear on the show tomorrow in ‘solidarity’.

Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity.

— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) March 10, 2023

A spokesperson from the BBC had said the corporation had been in “extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days”.

It went on to state:

“We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.

“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. When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. 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.”

On Thursday Lineker had said his weekend presenting for the show would be business as usual. This followed him being branded ‘irreponsible’ by Home Secretary Suella Braverman for comparing the Government’s proposed immigration measures to 1930s Germany.

The Match Of The Day host was also criticised by immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who said he is “so far out of step with the British public” after he called the Government’s proposed measures “cruel”.

Following the criticism on Wednesday, Lineker wrote on Twitter: “Morning all. Anything going on?”

He then followed this up with another post, adding: “Great to see the freedom of speech champions out in force this morning demanding silence from those with whom they disagree.”

“I have never known such love and support in my life than I’m getting this morning (England World Cup goals aside, possibly),” he also wrote. “I’ll continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that have no voice.”

On Tuesday, Lineker wrote on Twitter about a Home Office video in which Ms Braverman unveiled the Government’s plans to stop migrants crossing the Channel on small boats and said the UK is being “overwhelmed”.

The ex-England striker, who is not a permanent member of staff at the BBC and is a freelance broadcaster that is not responsible for news or political content, wrote: “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.

“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.”