MOTD Mutiny: BBC Pulls Gary Lineker Off Air Over Nazi Tweet Row
Yesternight, MATCH of the Day hosts staged a mutiny after the BBC removed Gary Lineker from the air due to the Nazi tweet controversy, plunging the flagship show into chaos.
Ian Wright and Alan Shearer walked out in “solidarity” with Lineker, 62, who had compared the language used by the government regarding its crackdown on small boats to 1930s Germany.
The BBC was forced to scramble to find a panel for the show after other celebrities declined to participate.
Gary cried when he learned that his friends had publicly supported him.
The corporation announced on a chaotic day that its £1.3 million-a-year star had agreed to step down from hosting tonight’s flagship highlights show.
Friends, however, claimed that Lineker was blindsided by the statement and benched against his will.
Mark Chapman, the presenter of Match of the Day 2, became the frontrunner to fill the void.
MOTD Mutiny: BBC Pulls Gary Lineker Off Air Over Nazi Tweet Row. The BBC is unable to predict when former England star Lineker will return.
Tonight, it appeared impossible for the BBC star to return.
Executives demanded that he issue a “humiliating apology” or risk being “rested” from the show.
A source stated, “The past twenty-four hours have been turbulent. Gary is in shock and was unaware that this would occur. He desired to appear on television, but this was not his decision.
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“Everyone at the BBC is in meltdown in private as well. They genuinely do not know how they will release a show because nobody is interested in it.
“Everyone in the industry is appalled by Gary’s treatment and the BBC’s general inconsistency.
“Gary wept when he learned that all of his friends had publicly supported him.
“The overwhelming support has been a massive slap in the face to the BBC.
Gary was unwilling to pretend to support something with which he disagrees vehemently.
He does not need the money, and it is difficult to imagine a way back for either party at this point.
The former striker compared the language surrounding the government’s crackdown on small boats to that of 1930s Nazi Germany.
The BBC initially stated that Lineker would be contacted, but later appeared to take no action.
This provoked a backlash from Tory MPs outraged by what they perceived to be a breach of BBC impartiality regulations.
Yesterday afternoon, the BBC erroneously announced that Lineker had stepped down as host of MoTD.
Then, Pal Wright tweeted, “Everyone knows how many matches of the Day means to me, but I’ve informed the BBC that I won’t be hosting tomorrow. Solidarity.”
Shearer then stated, “I have informed the BBC that I will not be appearing on MoTD.”
And Football Focus host Alex Scott appeared to rule herself out by posting a meme containing the phrase “Nope, not me.”
Piers Morgan stated last night about the BBC, “This is a ridiculous decision. If the BBC truly believes that its presenters should not have political opinions, then I eagerly anticipate their suspension of David Attenborough, Alan Sugar, and anyone else who has presented BBC programs but has made their political opinions public.
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Jeff Stelling and Laura Woods are also supporters of Lineker.
Previously, the BBC issued the following statement: “We have stated that we consider his recent social media activity to violate our policies. The BBC has decided that he will not present MoTD until we have an agreed-upon and clear position on his social media usage.
“We have never said that Gary should be an opinion-free zone or that he cannot have an opinion on issues that are important to him, but we have said that he should avoid taking sides in political issues and controversies.”
A television insider added, “This is typical of the BBC’s inability to handle a crisis in which it is involved; they nearly implode in confusion over what to do.” They have not disciplined him and have informed the media that he will not resign, but they have decided to remove him from the air to review their policies. It’s all a little confusing.
“It is not surprising that nobody knows what they can and cannot say.”
Lineker appeared to have weathered the controversy until yesterday, when he tweeted, “Well, it’s been an eventful few days. “I’m relieved this ridiculously exaggerated story appears to be winding down, and I’m looking forward to Saturday’s Match of the Day.”
PM Rishi Sunak stated that he hoped his immigration plan’s critics, such as Lineker, would eventually realize their error.
Ex-Culture Secretary John Whittingdale stated, “Gary has every right to his opinions.
“The issue is that he is the highest-paid BBC employee and is closely associated with the BBC. I fear that these two things are incompatible.”
