BBC director general Tim Davie says he will not resign after the broadcaster's sports coverage was thrown into chaos following Gary Lineker being taken off Match of the Day.
The BBC decided Lineker, 62, should "step back" from the flagship football highlights programme after describing the government's new Migration Bill as "beyond awful" and saying the language in it is "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".
Lineker has since said the BBC told him to step back, and his fellow pundits launched a boycott, leading the BBC to pull several sports programmes, with Match of the Day reduced to just twenty minutes.
Davie has now given an interview to his own company, in which he claimed the BBC is trying to resolve the issue. He said he would not resign from his role and promised to find an amicable solution with "best in the business" Lineker.
Speaking to the BBC’s Nomia Iqbal, Davie said: "I’m sorry audiences have been affected and they haven’t got the programming.
"As a keen sports fan I know to miss programming is a real blow and I’m sorry about that. We are working very hard to resolve this situation and make sure we get output on air."
He added: "Everyone wants to calmly resolve situation. Gary Lineker’s the best in the business - that’s not for debate."
After Alan Shearer, Ian Wright and a whole host of their colleagues refused to appear on Match of the Day, the BBC was forced to cut the programme back to the bare bones.
Sports presenters including Alex Scott, Kelly Somers and Jason Mohammad said on Saturday that they were pulling out of their shows, which resulted in Football Focus and Final Score being scrapped from the BBC One schedule, while 5 Live’s radio coverage was also altered.
The Mirror has launched a petition to have Gary Lineker reinstated at the BBC and as the host of Match of the Day. Sign it here.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: "The BBC will only be able to bring limited sport programming this weekend and our schedules will be updated to reflect that.
" We are 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."
The corporation’s director of sport, Barbara Slater, also issued an apology to staff for the disruption to the schedule.
Within the letter, Ms Slater said: "We are sorry about the impact that the news relating to Gary Lineker and Match Of The Day is having across the department this weekend.
"We understand how unsettling this is for all of you – the staff in BBC Sport and our freelance community – and we understand the strength of feeling which has been generated by this issue."
The Sunday edition of MOTD may also face disruption after football pundit Jermain Defoe announced he would not appear.
Defoe tweeted: "It’s always such a privilege to work with BBC MOTD. But tomorrow I have taken the decision to stand down from my punditry duties. @GaryLineker."
