The BBC has announced that Gary Lineker will be stepping back from presenting Match of the Day after he was found to have breached the organization’s guidelines on social media use.
The decision comes after Lineker compared Britain to Nazi Germany over a new immigration policy in a tweet.
According to the BBC, Lineker’s tweet accused ministers of using “language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s.” The tweet was found to be in breach of the BBC’s guidelines, which state that presenters should not take sides on party political issues or political controversies.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said, “The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. 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.”
The spokesperson added, “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.”
Lineker, who has been a presenter on Match of the Day for over two decades, has yet to comment on the decision. However, the BBC says that it will continue to have discussions with him and his team about his social media use.
The decision has sparked a debate about the role of presenters and their use of social media. Some have argued that Lineker has a right to express his opinion on political issues, while others believe that presenters should remain impartial.
In any case, it is clear that Lineker’s comments have caused controversy and led to his temporary removal from Match of the Day. Whether he will return to the programme in the future remains to be seen.
