The BBC was forced to scrap much of its weekend sports programming as the network scrambled to stem an escalating crisis over its suspension of football host Gary Lineker for comments criticising the British government's new asylum policy. (More Football News)
As a growing number of English Premier League players and BBC presenters rallied to Lineker's support and refused to appear on the airwaves on Saturday, Britain's national broadcaster faced allegations of political bias and suppressing free speech, as well as praise from some Conservative politicians.
The broadcaster said it would air only 바카라limited sport programming바카라 this weekend after hosts of many of its popular sports shows declined to appear, in solidarity with Lineker. The former England captain was suspended from 바카라Match of the Day,바카라 a popular football highlights show, over a Twitter post that compared lawmakers' language about migrants to that used in Nazi Germany.
Instead of blanket coverage on Saturday of the most popular league in the world, the BBC had no preview shows on radio or TV and no early evening summary of the final scores of Premier League games. Lunchtime TV program 바카라Football Focus바카라 was replaced with a rerun episode of antiques show 바카라Bargain Hunt,바카라 while early evening 바카라Final Score바카라 was swapped for 바카라The Repair Shop.바카라
바카라Match of the Day바카라 바카라 the late-night program that has been a British institution for 60 years 바카라 was reduced from the usual hour and a half of highlights and analysis to a 20-minute compilation of clips from the day's games, without commentary or punditry 바카라 just cheers and jeers from the stadium crowds for a soundtrack.
There will not be any post-match player interviews, either. The Professional Footballers' Association said some players wanted to boycott the show, and as a result 바카라players involved in today's games will not be asked to participate in interviews with Match of The Day.'바카라
The union said it was a 바카라common sense solution바카라 to avoid players facing sanctions for breaching their broadcast commitments.
The BBC said it was "sorry for these changes which we recognise will be disappointing for BBC sport fans. We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon.바카라
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even weighed in, urging Lineker and the BBC to settle their disagreement.
바카라Gary Lineker was a great footballer and is a talented presenter. I hope that the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in a timely manner, but it is rightly a matter for them, not the government," he said.
Lineker, 62, was a household name in Britain even before he became chief 바카라Match of the Day바카라 presenter in 1999.
One of English football's most lauded players, he was the leading scorer at the 1986 World Cup and finished his international career with 48 goals in 80 matches for England.
After retiring from a career that included stints with Barcelona, Tottenham, Everton and Leicester, Lineker has become one of the U.K.'s most influential media figures and the BBC's best-paid star, earning 1.35 million pounds (USD 1.6 million) last year.
An enthusiastic social media user with 8.7 million Twitter followers, Lineker has long irked right-of-center politicians and activists with his liberal views, including criticism of Britain's decision to leave the European Union.
The latest controversy began with a tweet on Tuesday from Lineker's account describing the government's plan to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat as 바카라an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.바카라
The Conservative government called Lineker's Nazi comparison offensive and unacceptable, and some lawmakers said he should be fired.
In his statement, Sunak doubled down on the government's plan to deter people from making dangerous journeys across the English Channel in small boats, saying it was the only way to 바카라break this cycle of misery once and for all.바카라
On Friday, the BBC said Lineker would 바카라step back바카라 from 바카라Match of the Day바카라 until it had "an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.바카라 Lineker has yet to comment publicly, and on Saturday went to his hometown of Leicester to watch Leicester City play Chelsea in the Premier League. He was greeted with cheers from bystanders as he arrived for a match Chelsea won 3-1.
The 100-year-old BBC, which is funded by a license fee paid by all households with a television, has a duty to be impartial in its news coverage, and BBC news staff are barred from expressing political opinions.
Lineker, as a freelancer who doesn't work in news or current affairs, isn't bound by the same rules, and has sometimes pushed the boundaries of what the BBC considers acceptable. Last year, the BBC found Lineker breached impartiality rules with a tweet about the Conservatives' alleged Russian donations.
BBC neutrality has come under recent scrutiny over revelations that its chairman, Richard Sharp 바카라 a Conservative Party donor 바카라 helped arrange a loan for then Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021, weeks before Sharp was appointed to the BBC post on the government's recommendation.
Former BBC Director General Greg Dyke said the network 바카라undermined its own credibility바카라 by appearing to bow to government pressure.
Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said the BBC was 바카라caving in바카라 to political pressure from Conservative lawmakers.
