BBC bosses have confirmed Gary Lineker will not present Match of the Day as they announced the presenter will be in crisis talks.
The decision by the publicly-funded broadcaster has angered the general public and seen major names from the world of sport and showbiz rush to support Lineker - with co-stars Alan Shearer and Ian Wright refusing to appear on the show tomorrow night out of solidarity.
Sources claim the decision to take a break from hosting Match of the Day wasn't made by Lineker, with the presenter actually not agreeing to 'step back' and instead, taken off air due to refusing to apologise for his tweets on social media earlier this week.
Lineker confirmed to Channel 5 News anchor Dan Walker this evening that it was not his decision to step back, telling Walker "they [the BBC] have told me I have to step back" via Whatsapp as the former Strictly star presented the news live on air.
Alex Scott, who had been tipped to replace Lineker on Match of the Day tomorrow, shut down the rumours she will be hosting the football round-up show tomorrow night and says she stands in solidarity with the former England striker.
The BBC confirmed this evening that no-one will be presenting Match of the Day this weekend following a number of stars opting to support Lineker.
In a statement shared earlier today, the BBC said: "The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.
The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media."
“When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. "
"We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can’t have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies," the statement concluded.
Ian Wright, one of Lineker's co-host's on Match of the Day, quickly took to social media to confirm he would not be appearing on the show tomorrow night out of solidarity.
He tweeted: "Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity."
Alan Shearer later announced on Instagram that he would also not be appearing on Match of the Day out of solidarity for his co-star.
He said on Twitter: "I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night."
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.
The BBC clearly struggled to find someone to cover Lineker on the show - with Mark Chapman and Jermaine Jenas also ruling themselves out of hosting the football programme.
A spokesperson for the BBC said this evening: "Some of our pundits have said that they don’t wish to appear on the programme while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary.
"We understand their position and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry."
As the news broke this evening, celebrities and members of the general public reacted to the news Lineker won't be presenting Match of the Day tomorrow night.
Piers Morgan didn't hold back when slamming the BBC - calling the organisation splineless and calling on other stars to be investigated over so-called impartially breaches.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Are the BBC right to stand Gary Lineker down from presenting duties? Comment below.
He tweeted: "WTF? How pathetically spineless.. I now demand the BBC suspend every presenter who has made public comment about news or current affairs - starting with Sir David Attenborough and Lord Sugar."
Morgan later added: "REMINDER: BBC management told @GaryLineker to make political statements about Qatar’s human rights record at the start of the recent World Cup."
He didn't stop there and went on to add a third tweet slamming the BBC.
"It’s now a sackable offence in Britain to express an opinion. What a pathetic state of affairs. #lineker," Morgan fumed on Twitter.
He continued to issue a warning to any star considering filling in for Lineker this weekend - tweeting how he will judge any presenter who steps in and hosts Match of the Day tomorrow night.
Gary's sons shared messages in support of their father as George tweeted: "Shouldn’t apologise for being a good person. He’s only going to come out on top. Up the Gaz," while Harry and Tobias retweeted Wright's announcement that he would stand in solidarity with Gary.
Former Pointless star Richard Osman was one of the first to slam the BBC over the decision, taking to Twitter to say: "This is pathetic for so many reasons."
Gary Neville shared a news report about the statement and added: "When you take on the Tories and the system! Awful people who we need gone. Off for a [wine]."
"What an absolute f***ing joke," comedian Kathy Burke added to the backlash as she quote-tweeted a BBC news article breaking the news.
Retired England goalkeeper Ben Foster also wrote a message of support under Ian Wright's tweet, replying: "Heck yes Wrighty."
Stand-up comic Tez Ilyas mused: "Whether you agree or disagree with @GaryLineker, being forced to step back from a sports presenting job he’s done for over two decades, because he had a jibe at the Government, is messy af."
Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green Party, tweeted: "WTF? Please BBC, stop capitulating to this cynical, divisive, populist Tory Government - stop letting yourselves be used to stoke these culture wars."
The general public is equally infuriated by the decision from the BBC - with many threatening to boycott the organisation and stop paying their license fee.
One angry viewer tweeted: "i'm hoping at some point we're all going to focus on the actual illegal bill the government are proposing and not just Gary Lineker's opinion on it. BBC are honestly useless," while another said: "What is the BBC doing to themselves. Absolute madness!"
Another fumed: "Potentially the worst day in BBC history. The huge job losses in 2005 were dreadful, obviously. But this is the philosophical death knell of the public service broadcaster as we know it. Hard to see how it rescues its credibility from today's decisions."
Lineker tweeted critically about the government's 'Stop the Boats' asylum policy earlier this week leading to a backlash from Conservatives and the right wing media.
Lineker, who works for the BBC as a freelance TV host, said the language in which their plan to 'stop the boats' was set out was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".
The BBC has rules on impartiality and the corporation which the host appeared to has broken although he is emplyed and a freelance.
In a seemingly defiant move Lineker took to twitter on Tuesday and joked: "Morning all. Anything going on?"
He then added: "Great to see the freedom of speech champions out in force this morning demanding silence from those with whom they disagree.
"I have never known such love and support in my life than I’m getting this morning (England World Cup goals aside, possibly). I want to thank each and every one of you. It means a lot. I’ll continue to try and speak up for those poor souls that have no voice. Cheers all."
On Tuesday, the government had outlined plans to ban people arriving via an illegal route from claiming asylum in the UK.
The measure is part of attempts to address a rise in the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats.
Rishi Sunak defended the Government's small boats policy when questioned about Gary Lineker's comments.
The Prime Minister said: "I'm completely confident that what we're doing is not only right, that it's fair, but it's also the compassionate and moral way to address the challenges that we face with illegal migration."
The Prime Minister's press secretary also told reporters: "It's obviously disappointing to see someone whose salary is funded by hard-working British (licence fee) payers using that kind of rhetoric and seemingly dismissing their legitimate concerns that they have about small boats crossings and illegal migration.
"But beyond that, it's up to the BBC, who I think have said today that they'll be having a conversation with Gary Lineker, and it's not for me to comment further."
And Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was "disappointed" by the comments.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she said: "I'm disappointed, obviously. I think it's unhelpful to compare our measures, which are lawful, proportionate and - indeed - compassionate, to 1930s Germany. I also think that we are on the side of the British people here."
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