Liverpool legend John Barnes believes the BBC appears to 'pick and choose' when it wants to be impartial amid the ongoing fallout around Gary Lineker.
The BBC confirmed on Monday morning that Lineker was set to return to the broadcaster, after being stood down on Friday afternoon for comments he made on social media about the government’s plans to ban people arriving in the UK on "small boats" from ever claiming asylum. The former Everton forward came under fire from Suella Braverman, the home secretary, and a number of Conservative MPs over his tweet.
Football coverage on BBC TV and radio shows was hit across the weekend as pundits, presenters and reporters – including Alan Shearer, Ian Wright and Alex Scott – walked out in solidarity with Lineker. Match of the Day aired for just 20 minutes on Saturday without accompanying commentary or analysis from presenters, and Sunday’s edition followed a similar format, running for a reduced 15 minutes.
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But in a statement released on Monday the BBC confirmed it had reached a deal with Lineker, meaning he will be returning to programming this weekend. "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," director-general Tim Davie said.
And Barnes, speaking ahead of the statement dropping, believes the whole row played right into the hands of the government and that they support his former England team-mate received was because many believed he was right.
“I am not supporting Gary Lineker because he was a brilliant player and my England team mate – I am supporting him because he’s right,” he told the Mirror.
“Gary was not equating Britain to Nazi Germany. All he said – which is true – is that the language used towards the asylum seekers is similar to the language used by Germany in the 1930s.
“And he had the right to express his view on his personal Twitter account.
“The BBC can’t pick and choose when it wants to be impartial. It was OK for Gary to be critical of Qatar and its human rights record –yet it’s not OK for him to be critical of human rights issues in his own country. The truth is the BBC is crying about wrongdoing because they are frightened of the Government. If Gary had tweeted: “I really agree with Suella on this – what a brilliant policy,” do you think he’d have been sent packing?
“He’d have got abuse on social media, but I guarantee the BBC would have turned a blind eye. It says it all when the BBC chairman is still in his job despite helping arrange an £800,000 loan for Boris Johnson.
“This whole storm is perfect for the Government – and the BBC are playing into its hands. We are all now talking about Gary Lineker - not the cost of living crisis, not the striking nurses and teachers. The Tories are quite happy for this distraction.
“MOTD is an institution people love, so I’m sure Gary and everybody will be back in time. There will be an agreement reached. Gary could have just apologised and all would have been forgotten about. But he stuck to his guns, and you have to admire him for that.
“Gary is a football legend to so many. But most people are not supporting him because they think he’s a hero – they’re supporting him because he’s right.”
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