The British Broadcasting Corporation “BBC” decided on Friday to suspend the work of football legend Gary Lineker as a presenter for his football program “Match of the Day” (Today’s match), following the former English international scorer sparked controversy by comparing him to The government’s new plan on illegal immigration rhetoric of Nazi Germany.
In this context, she said British channel She considers Lineker’s “recent social media activity a violation of our guidelines,” adding that he should avoid taking sides on political issues. And the BBC continued in its statement: “The BBC has decided that he will withdraw from presenting ‘Match of the Day‘Until we come to an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.
The row was sparked by Lineker’s response to a video in which Interior Minister Suela Braverman revealed plans to end illegal Channel crossings, which was strongly condemned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
“There is no massive influx. We receive much less refugees than other major European countries,” the former Barcelona player said in a tweet on Twitter. And the top scorer of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico continued: “This is just an immeasurably harsh policy directed once morest the most vulnerable people with language not different from that used by Germany in the 1930s, and (they say) I am the one who crossed the line?”
Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the Commons earlier this week that stopping the boats was “the people’s priority” and also vowed to “break the criminal gangs” that profit from the trips.
The new bill provides for the speedy deportation of migrants who arrive in this way and prevents them from seeking asylum and thus settling in the UK or applying for citizenship of the country. It also facilitates detention of migrants until deportation to another country deemed safe.
And the “BBC” added, Friday: “We have never said that Gary is not entitled to have an opinion, or that he cannot have a point of view on issues that concern him, but we said that he should stay away from bias in political issues or controversial issues.” “.
Later, former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright said he would not appear on the program this weekend in support of Lineker. He wrote on Twitter: “Everyone knows what ‘Match of the Day’ means to me, but I told the BBC I won’t be appearing tomorrow. Solidarity.”
Fellow analyst and former striker Alan Shearer also said he would not appear on the programme, and many presenters and journalists showed their support for Lineker.
Lineker, the former Tottenham and Leicester City striker, is the highest-paid presenter at the publicly funded BBC, with an annual salary of 1.35 million pounds ($1.60 million), according to figures published in 2022.
France 24/AFP
