Making Match of the Day again soon on the BBC: Gary Lineker.
Image: Reuters
The suspension didn’t last long: after the BBC realized how much Gary Lineker’s forced break with “Match of the Day” was damaging, the moderator was allowed to return. He had criticized the government’s asylum policy.
Dhe dispute between the BBC and prominent football presenter Gary Lineker has ended. As the public broadcaster announced on Monday, the ex-English national player will return to the screen. “Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary and I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend,” said BBC Director General Tim Davie. He announced an independent investigation into social media regulations. Lineker was satisfied. He is looking forward to going back on the air, said the 62-year-old.
Lineker tweeted last Tuesday that the rhetoric of Britain’s Conservative government was “not unlike that of Germany in the 1930s”. The BBC saw this as a violation of its strict rules of neutrality and suspended the popular moderator.
As a result, several moderators and commentators refused to work, and Lineker’s flagship show “Match of the Day” only showed game scenes without comment. Critics accused the BBC of bowing to government pressure.
