LONDON, UK (@FOLHAPRESS) – Few sports personalities are as famous in England as Gary Lineker. A former England international, he has hosted Match of the Day since the late 1990s, a popular BBC program reflecting on the Premier League tour. This week, Lineker was embroiled in a political controversy that culminated in his removal from the network.
The former athlete tweeted to his more than 8 million followers that the British government’s new proposal on immigration includes “language not unlike that used by Germany in the 1930s,” a reference to Nazism.
The project was presented last Tuesday (7). The measure aims to combat people entering the UK on boats across the English Channel, promising them swift deportation of illegal immigrants back to their home countries or to another country deemed safe.
These crossings are very dangerous and often fatal. According to the British government, last year more than 45,000 people entered the country in this way, leaving “the asylum application system overburdened”. The agenda, which is popular with conservative voters, has become a top priority for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Human rights groups said the government’s plan violated international treaties.
In many right-wing media, the tweet resonated more than the content of the law. Politicians have called for the presenter to resign or be suspended, saying Lineker had breached the BBC’s impartiality rules.
The presenter refused to apologize, and on Thursday (9) returned to Twitter to say that he would be in charge of the program over the weekend. Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron met on Friday and announced measures to toughen the fight against boat crossings.
Hours later, the BBC issued a statement saying that after a conversation with Lineker it had concluded there had been a breach of the broadcaster’s guidelines and confirmed its removal from Match of the Day until “there is a clear understanding and position on its use of social networks.” A BBC spokesperson said. Also, there was a request for the presenter to “stay away from political differences.”
Soon the reaction from the other side began. The Labor Party described Lineker’s dismissal as an “attack on freedom of expression”. Even Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon intervened, saying the BBC’s decision was “indefensible”. Sky News, a rival TV channel, claims the presenter would not have agreed with the BBC’s statement.
Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, also former national team players and two of the programme’s main commentators, announced they would not take part in Saturday’s ‘Match of the Day’ in solidarity with Lineker. Gary Neville, idol and Manchester United commentator, tweeted that this is what happens when you face the conservatives and the system. “Bad guys who need to get out.”
Other commentators have already shown themselves on social networks saying that, if invited, they would not take part in the Match of the Day. Faced with the crisis, the broadcaster announced that the upcoming program would not have presenters or commentators, only the best gaming moments would be shown.
The news is sure to be in all the newspapers on Saturday and not just the sports pages in case, like the government’s plan on immigration, it isn’t leaving the headlines anytime soon.
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