The pundit outside his home on Sunday after missing Saturday’s Match Of The Day (Picture: PA)
A charity supporting people with sight loss has called out the BBC for not featuring any commentary in its shortened Match of the Day.
The football programme aired on Saturday March 11 despite Gary Lineker being asked to step away after he compared the Home Office’s immigration policy with Nazi Germany.
The pundit’s peers, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, also boycotted MOTD, resulting in a 20-minute version of the show airing instead, without a presenter, pundits or match commentary.
In a tweet, the Royal National Institute of Blind People has criticised the broadcaster for its lack of accessibility, after a blind content creator and disability advocate named Jurgen brought up the issue.
‘I am so angry, it was bad enough what @BBCSport @BBCAccessAll did too
@GaryLineker but to put on @BBCMOTD without any commentary is not just inaccessible, it is a breach of the equalities act! It shows how little they care for disabled viewers! #Accessibility #Disability #MOTD [sic],’ he wrote.
The charity reshared Jurgen’s tweet, while adding: ‘The BBC needs to do better.
The football highlights programme was devoid of any presenters on Saturday (Picture: BBC/Pete Dadds)
‘We agree with Jurgen that their decision not to include commentary on Match of the Day is unacceptable.
‘The BBC should be upholding basic accessibility standards so that everyone can enjoy their output.
Following the shortened format of Match of the Day airing on Sunday evening, the BBC confirmed that Match of the Day 2, which shows highlights of Sunday’s matches and a recap of Saturday’s games, will also feature a scaled-down version this weekend.
Mark Chapman was due to be hosting the show on Sunday evening, while former Tottenham Hotspur and England player Jermain Defoe announced that he would not be appearing on the programme in support of Lineker.
Prior to Sunday’s Women’s Super League match between Chelsea and Manchester United, the BBC shared that the coverage of the game would not include a presenter or pundits, with commentary being taken from a world feed broadcast instead.
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Despite Match of the Day being shortened on Saturday, half a million more people tuned in to watch in comparison to the previous week’s programme.
The latest episode was said to have garnered 2.6million viewers, while last week’s had 2.1m, according to Barb’s overnight figures.
On Friday March 10, the BBC released a statement that read: ‘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.
‘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.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.
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‘The BBC needs to do better,’ the organisation tweeted.