Former Premier League winner Chris Sutton will return to his role as a pundit on the BBC on Monday night after hitting out at the "messy" Gary Lineker situation.
Lineker was stood down from hosting Match of the Day by the broadcaster after he became involved in a row with Conservative party MPs. Many of Lineker's colleagues at BBC Sport, including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, pulled their availability in solidarity.
That heavily disrupted BBC Sport's programming, with Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 airing without a presenter, pundits or commentary. Football Focus and Final Score were cancelled altogether, as well as much of BBC 5 Live's sports programming.
That included football phone-in show 606, which is co-hosted by former Blackburn star Sutton. Unlike many of his colleagues though, Sutton opted to take aim at the situation, rather than give his backing to Lineker explicitly.
"There is no 606 tonight. I hope Gary Lineker and the BBC resolve this messy situation and Gary is back on MOTD soon but I’d have loved to have worked on our football phone in tonight and chatted about football and all of the days games," he tweeted on Saturday.
That wish has been granted, with Lineker and the BBC announcing on Monday that an agreement had been reached to see the presenter return. According to the Daily Mail, that means that there will be a phased return of BBC Sport to the schedules.
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That will start with the Monday Night Club, which will air on BBC Radio 5 Live on Monday night. Sutton will feature on the football debate programme alongside presenter Mark Chapman.
As part of the agreement, Lineker and those who stood in solidarity with him will not face any further punishment from the BBC. While Sutton did not explicitly back Lineker, it is BBC director general Tim Davie who has apologised, rather than the former Leicester star.
“Everyone recognises this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences. I apologise for this. The potential confusion caused by the grey areas of the BBC’s social media guidance that was introduced in 2020 is recognised," he said.
"Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend.”
Sutton retweeted the BBC's announcement, though so far has not commented further. Lineker, meanwhile, has announced his delight at being able to return to his role on Match of the Day.
"After a surreal few days, I’m delighted that we have navigated a way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity," Lineker tweeted.
"A final thought: however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away. It’s heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight from so many of you."
