Former England footballer and now BBC presenter Gary Lineker will temporarily leave his post on “Match of the Day” after his controversial remarks against the British government over its migration policy, the broadcaster said on Friday.
Lineker, 62, was heavily criticized for comparing in a tweet the language used by British Prime Minister, the conservative Rishi Sunak, in presenting his controversial bill against irregular migration with the rhetoric of Nazi Germany.
“The BBC has had extensive conversations with Gary and his team over the past few days. We have said that we consider his recent activity on social media to be a breach of our guidelines” of impartiality, a BBC spokesman said.
“The BBC has decided that he will no longer present ‘Match of the Day’ until we have a clear and agreed position on his use of social media,” he added.
The controversy was sparked by a response by Lineker on Twitter, where he has 9 million followers, to a video in which UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman revealed last Tuesday plans to detain and deport anyone arriving. to the country illegally, prevent them from applying for asylum and prohibit them from obtaining British nationality.
“There is not a large flow. We accept far fewer refugees than other major European countries,” wrote the former player.
“This is just an immeasurably cruel policy aimed at the most vulnerable people in a language not unlike that used by Germany in the 1930s,” he added.
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, and I’m out of order?
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 7, 2023
On Thursday, Lineker said he stood by his words and was looking forward to hosting next week’s show, which he has done since 1999, five years after retiring from football.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
