Gary Lineker forced out of role as Match of the Day presenter

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2023

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Gary Lineker has been forced off his Match of the Day duties by the BBC because he won’t apologise for his comments on social media, Sky News understands.

The BBC said in a statement that the presenter will “step back” from hosting the weekly football highlights programme.

But, it’s understood that Lineker has not agreed to this, and believes the wording is incorrect.

A source close to the presenter told Sky News that the corporation has taken him off air, as he is unwilling to apologise and admit he should not have made the comments.

Following the announcement, football pundit Ian Wright said he will not take part in tomorrow’s Match of the Day programme in “solidarity” with Lineker.

Alan Shearer also said he will not appear on the programme on Saturday night.

The BBC said Lineker will not present the show until an agreement is reached on his social media use, after he was embroiled in a row over impartiality by comparing the language used to launch a new government asylum policy with 1930s Germany.

The corporation said in a statement it 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 statement added.

“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 statement continued: “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.”

Bectu, a union which represents thousands of BBC workers, said the corporation’s decision was “deeply concerning”.

Philippa Childs, Head of Bectu, said it gives the appearance that the BBC “has bowed to political pressure from ministers to take someone off air for disagreeing with the policies of the current government”.

She added: “Taken with the ongoing controversy over the appointment of the BBC Chairman, who has a much more important role in upholding the reputation of the BBC, and who has not stepped back while under investigation, it also risks given the impression of double standards on these issues.”

It comes after the presenter, 62, said on Thursday that he would be presenting Match of the Day on Saturday as usual after several days of intense criticism over his Twitter posts.

A tweet from Lineker had suggested he was not reprimanded by the BBC for his comments about the small boats policy despite criticism from some politicians.

“Well, it’s been an interesting couple of days,” he wrote on Thursday.

“Happy that this ridiculously out of proportion story seems to be abating and very much looking forward to presenting @BBCMOTD on Saturday.

“Thanks again for all your incredible support. It’s been overwhelming.”

In response to the BBC’s decision, a spokesperson for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: “Individual cases are a matter for the BBC.”

The BBC guidelines

Gary Lineker signed a five-year deal with the BBC in 2020, under which he agreed to adhere to their updated impartiality rules.

The rules for news and current affairs journalists are very strict, with their personal accounts treated as if they are part of the BBC’s output.

Because Lineker works in the sports department, he has more freedom to express his own opinion, but under the guidelines must still “avoid bringing the BBC into disrepute”.

They also state: “There are also others who are not journalists or involved in factual programming who nevertheless have an additional responsibility to the BBC because of their profile on the BBC. We expect these individuals to avoid taking sides on party political issues or political controversies and to take care when addressing public policy matters.”

Several commentators and football pundits have reacted to the news, with Gary Neville tweeting: “When you take on the Tories and the system! Awful people who we need gone.”

Meanwhile, Labour has condemned the BBC’s “cowardly decision” to stand Lineker down from MOTD hosting duties, saying: “The BBC’s cowardly decision to take Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure.

“Tory politicians lobbying to get people sacked for disagreeing with Government policies should be laughed at, not pandered to. The BBC should rethink their decision.”

Criticism from the government

Lineker told reporters outside his London home on Thursday that he stood by his criticism of the government and was not worried about being suspended from the BBC.

His initial controversial tweet saw him compare the language used to announce the government’s policy with 1930s Germany.

It sparked a row over whether he broke BBC impartiality rules.

The former England striker is a freelance broadcaster for BBC Sport.

As he is not a permanent staff member and is not responsible for news or political content, he is not required to adhere to the same regulations on impartiality.

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But his comments drew criticism from Conservative Party politicians, with Home Secretary Suella Braverman telling the BBC that the comparison with pre-Second Word War Germany “diminishes the unspeakable tragedy” of the Holocaust, and that the remarks were “offensive” and “lazy and unhelpful”.

The new legislation proposed by the government would mean refugees arriving on small boats in the UK are detained and deported within weeks – either to their own country if it is safe, or a third nation if it is not.

Entertainment

Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it’s ‘an underdog just like me’

Published

2 days ago

July 18, 2025

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Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it's 'an underdog just like me'

Snoop Dogg has become a co-owner and investor of Swansea, with the US rapper hailing the Welsh football club as “an underdog that bites back, just like me”.

The former Premier League club, which plays in the English second tier, confirmed the US rapper and producer plans to use his own money to invest in it, Sky Sports reports, although it didn’t disclose financial details.

“My love of football is well known, but it feels special to me that I make my move into club ownership with Swansea City,” the music icon said in the announcement.

“The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me,” he added. “This is a proud, working class city and club.

“An underdog that bites back, just like me.

“I’m proud to be part of Swansea City. I am going to do all I can to help the club.”

Swansea’s American owners, led by Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen, are trying to grow the Championship club’s global brand and increase commercial revenue.

Snoop Dogg, 53, who has 89m followers on Instagram and more than 20m on X, helped launch the team’s 2025-26 home shirt last weekend.

The club ownership group said: “To borrow a phrase from Snoop’s back catalogue, this announcement is the next episode for Swansea City as we seek to create new opportunities to boost the club’s reach and profile.”

Luka Modric, who recently signed with AC Milan from Real Madrid, joined Swansea’s ownership group in April.

Entertainment

Police taking no further action after investigating Kneecap’s Glastonbury show

Published

2 days ago

July 18, 2025

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Police taking no further action after investigating Kneecap's Glastonbury show

Police are taking no further action over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury.

Officers said they had investigated “comments about a forthcoming court case made during Kneecap’s performance” at the festival on 28 June.

However, after Crown Prosecution Service advice, they decided there is not enough evidence “to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.

The Avon & Somerset force started investigating the Irish group’s show last month, as well as comments by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.

It said they were looking at a possible public order incident.

Police said on Friday that the investigation into Bob Vylan’s performance was ongoing.

The London duo were widely criticised – and caused a BBC crisis – after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).

Kneecap posted a photograph on Instagram, which the group said was an email from police announcing the case was being dropped.

They said their packed Glastonbury gig was a “celebration of love and solidarity” and reporting used “wildly misleading headlines”.

Fears over what Kneecap might do or say during the performance had prompted the BBC not to show it live.

The group said: “Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close… yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.”

“There is no public apology, they don’t send this to media or post it on police accounts,” they added.

The police statement on Friday said they had informed Kneecap of their decision to drop the case.

One of the group’s members appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.

Liam Og O hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.

He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August.

Entertainment

Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin

Published

3 days ago

July 17, 2025

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Tomorrowland: 'Devastating' blaze destroys main stage at major festival - two days before it was due to begin

A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.

Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.

Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.

The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.

It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.

Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.

The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.

The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.

Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.

Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.

“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”