The BBC suspended Gary Lineker as presenter after comments he made on Twitter unleashed a wave of criticism
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Gary Lineker will stop serving Match of the day (Game of the Day), a weekly TV show about Premier League matches broadcast by the BBC, until an agreement is reached over the former football star’s use of social media.
The decision, announced by the BBC itself on Friday, follows a row over impartiality over comments Lineker made criticizing the British government’s new asylum policy.
The BBC said it considered Undeniable’s “recent social media activity to be a breach of our rules”..
He added that he should “stay away from taking sides in partisan political issues or political differences.”
The BBC said it had been in “long discussions with Gary and the team in recent days” and had “decided not to attend him any more”. Match of the day Until we come to an agreed and clear position on their use of social media.”
Britain’s Public Media Corporation added: “When it comes to leading our coverage of football and sports, Gary is second to none.”
“we We never said Gary should be someone who doesn’t have opinions or can’t get perspective on issues that matter to him.“But we said that you should stay away from taking sides in partisan political issues or political differences,” the foundation said in a statement.
The BBC’s decision sparked a chain reaction from Linker’s fellow showrunners – Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, Micah Richards and Jermaine Jenas – who said they would not appear on the broadcast in support of the main host.
“Everyone knows what Match of the day You mean to me, but I told the BBC I wouldn’t do it tomorrow. “Solidarity,” former footballer Ian Wright said in a message he posted on his Twitter account on Friday.
Then, the program would later be broadcast without a studio presenter, without experts and without the usual commentators.
other programs
On Saturday, several BBC football broadcasters pulled out of their shows to support Lineker.
Alex Scott, a former member of the England national team and London club Arsenal, will not be attending Focus on footballAs well as Jason Muhammad responsible for The final result. Both TV spaces.
Colin Murray, radio show host Fighting talkaware that it will not be broadcast next Saturday “for obvious reasons”, and said that “a decision has been taken To all of the Financial Times team and me“.
Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA): Professional Footballers Association) He confirmed that the players and managers of the 12 English Premier League clubs that play matches on Saturday will not receive requests for interviews with them Match of the dayafter their respective matches, as usual.
“The union is speaking with members who wanted to take a collective stand and be able to show their support for those who chose not to participate in tonight’s show,” the organization said in a statement.
For Greg Dyke, who served as the BBC’s managing director between 2000 and 2004, it was a mistake to steer Lineker away from football’s flagship programme.
“There’s a long-standing precedent at the BBC that if you’re an entertainment or sports broadcaster, you’re not bound by those same rules,” he explained.
“The real problem today is that the BBC has undermined its credibility by doing this.”
According to Dyke, the move could create the impression that “the BBC has acquiesced to government pressure”.
He added, “It is inevitable that while he was not actually impeached but temporarily impeached, the BBC will now receive an avalanche of criticism that it is acting at the government’s behest.”
Labor foreign affairs spokesman David Lamy wrote on Twitter that it was “terrifying” to see “a major public broadcaster cowering in front of right-wing bigots”.
Our democracy is made of Something stronger than thisHe noted that the BBC should bring Lineker back to today’s match “where he belongs”.
Richard Eyre, the BBC’s former supervisor of editorial policy, said the company had “no choice” but to take action against Lineker.
According to Ayer, the company’s CEO, Tim Davie, “Clearly tryThey reached an agreement with the broadcaster, but they couldn’t.
He added, “It is inevitable that while he was not actually impeached but temporarily impeached, the BBC will now receive an avalanche of criticism that it is acting at the government’s behest.”
How did the controversy start?
British Home Secretary Soella Braverman announced on Tuesday the British government’s plans to ban those who arrive illegally in the UK from seeking asylum, in a bid to tackle the increase in the number of people crossing the Channel. La Mancha in small boats.
Lineker responded to this on Twitter, saying it was an “immeasurably cruel policy”. Addressed to the most vulnerable people in language not unlike that used by Germany in the 1930s.
Braverman responded to Linker’s letter by saying that it “minimizes the unspeakable tragedy” of the Holocaust.
He speaks on the podcast political thinking (Political Thought) from the BBC, The Home Secretary said the comparison with the Nazis was “lazy and useless”. She stressed that her family “feels the impact of the Holocaust deeply” because her husband is Jewish.
Many opposition MPs and charities also strongly opposed the government’s plans.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the proposal saying so Stopping the arrival of small boats is a “priority” for the British people.
Lineker was a presenter Match of the day Since 1999 he has been the highest paid star on the BBC, with a salary of around US$1.62 million in the 2020-2021 season.
He works for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on a self-employed basis.
The former soccer player has sheltered asylum seekers and has publicly called for better rights and protection for refugees.
He also criticized successive Conservative governments that the UK has recently faced on various issues, including Brexit.
His comments were widely supported on social media, with one of his tweets receiving 235,000 likes.
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