Walker said Lineker replied to him that the BBC “told me I have to step back.”
“So Gary Lineker wants to continue to presentMatch Of The Day and is not apologizing for what he has said,” Walker said on Channel 5,where he works,“but he has said it’s a BBC decision to force him to not present the program at the moment.”
In solidarity with Lineker,Alan Shearer and Ian Wright — former England players who work as pundits onMatch of the Day — said on Twitter they would not be appearing on the program this weekend.
After more of his BBC co-workers,like former football players Alex Scott,Jermaine Jenas and Micah Richards,said they would not want to work onMatch of the Day because of the treatment of Lineker,the BBC took the decision to change the format of the show.
“Some of our pundits have said that they don’t wish to appear on the program while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary,” the BBC said.
“We understand their position and we have decided that the program will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry.”
Conservative MPs in Britain have called on the BBC to discipline Lineker,the network’s highest-paid star on 1.35 million pounds ($2.7 million) last year,for saying the government’s plan to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat is “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”
The government has called Lineker’s Nazi comparison inappropriate and unacceptable,and some MPs said he should be fired.
The 62-year-old Lineker was a household name in Britain well before he became a smooth,knowledgeable presenter of sports shows on the BBC and other broadcasters. He was the leading scorer at the 1986 World Cup and finished his international career with 48 goals in 80 matches for England.
His club career included spells with Barcelona,Tottenham,Everton and Leicester.
The BBC,which is funded by a license fee paid by all households with a television,has a duty to be impartial and news staff are barred from expressing political opinions. As a freelancer who doesn’t work in news or current affairs,Lineker isn’t bound by the same rules and he often delves into politics and human rights issues with his tweets.
The BBC’s neutrality has come under recent scrutiny over revelations that its chairman,Richard Sharp — a Conservative Party donor — helped arrange a loan for then Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021,weeks before he was appointed to the BBC post on the government’s recommendation.
The fallout came as Sunak and Emmanuel Macron agreed to strengthen the military ties between their countries and step up efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel,at a summit that signalled a thaw in relations after years of Brexit-induced chill.
Sunak travelled to Paris as part of efforts to mend relations with France and other European Union members following the tensions created by the UK’s departure from the EU. At a cordial joint news conference,Sunak said his meeting with Macron,the first French-British summit since 2018,marked “a new beginning,an entente renewed.”
It was also a chance to signal to Sunak’s Conservative Party and British voters that the government is making progress on its promise to stop migrants reaching the UK in small boats.
Britain agreed to pay France more than 500 million euros ($810 million) over the next three years for measures including a detention centre for migrants in northern France,a joint command centre and more patrols of the French coastline using drones and an additional 500 French police officers.
AP,Reuters