Gary Lineker criticizes the government’s plan and is removed from the BBC – 03/10/2023 – Sport

Few sporting figures are as well known in England as Gary Lineker. A former England international, he has hosted “Match of the Day” since the late 1990s, a popular BBC program that reflects the Premier League round. This week, Lineker was involved 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 had “a language that is not unlike that used by Germany in the 1930s”, in a reference to Nazism.

The project had been presented last Tuesday (7). The measure aims to combat people entering the UK on boats across the English Channel, promising to quickly deport illegal immigrants back to their countries of origin or to another country considered safe.

These are extremely dangerous and often lethal crossings. According to the British government, last year more than 45,000 people entered the country this way, leaving the “asylum application system overloaded”. The agenda, popular with conservative voters, has become a top priority for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Human rights organizations have said the government’s plan violates international treaties.

In many more right-wing media outlets, the tweet resonated more than the content of the bill. Politicians called for the resignation or suspension of the presenter, saying Lineker broke the rules of impartiality of the BBC, a public television broadcaster.

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. This Friday, Sunak and the President of France, Emanuel Macron, met and announced measures to toughen the fight against boat crossings.

Hours later, the BBC released a statement saying that after a conversation with Lineker it concluded that there was 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 networks social.” The BBC spokesperson also said there had been a request for the presenter “to stay away from political controversies.”

Quickly, the reaction from the other side began. The Labor party called Lineker’s removal an “attack on free speech”. Even Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon got involved, saying the BBC’s decision was “indefensible”. Sky News, a rival television channel, claims that the presenter would not have agreed with the BBC statement.

Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, also former national team players and two of the show’s main commentators, have announced that they will not participate in “Match of the Day” this Saturday in solidarity with Lineker. Gary Neville, Manchester United idol and commentator, tweeted that this is what happens when you take on the Conservatives and the system. “Bad people who need to get out.”

Other commentators have already manifested themselves on social networks stating that, if invited, they will not participate in the “Match of the Day”. Faced with the crisis, the broadcaster announced that the next program will not have presenters or commentators, only the best moments of the games will be shown.

The news will certainly be all over the newspapers this Saturday and not just the sports pages in a case that, like the government’s plan on immigration, will not leave the headlines anytime soon.