Gary Lineker has been suspended from hosting Match of the Day (Picture: Getty Images)
The BBC has confirmed that Match of the Day ‘will focus on match action without presentation or punditry’ this weekend after Gary Lineker was told he would not be hosting the show and a string of pundits refused to appear as a result.
It was confirmed on Friday that Lineker would ‘step back’ from presenting the BBC show ‘until an agreement is reached on his social media use’.
The announcement comes after Lineker made comments criticising the government’s new asylum policy.
The BBC say this breached their guidelines as Lineker is a freelance employee, having hosted Match of the Day since 1999, and said the former England striker should ‘keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies’.
It was not Lineker’s choice to ‘step back’ from presenting and a number of his colleagues have stood in solidarity with him, as the likes of Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, Alex Scott, Micah Richards and Jermaine Jenas have all said they will not appear on Match of the Day this weekend.
Now the BBC have stated, via The Mirror: ‘Some of our pundits have said that they don’t wish to appear on the programme while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary.
‘We understand their position and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without presentation or punditry.’
Lineker has received widespread support on social media and his Match of the Day colleagues after he stuck to his guns on what he tweeted.
Former England and Arsenal striker Wright tweeted: ‘Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity.’
Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer followed suit, saying: ‘I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night.’
MORE : Ian Wright and Alan Shearer pull out of Match of the Day in ‘solidarity’ with Gary Lineker
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‘The programme will focus on match action.’