A majority of the UK public believe that the BBC was wrong to suspend Gary Lineker, a snap poll has revealed. The survey by YouGov said that 53% of people think that the public broadcaster was wrong to remove the popular presenter from Match of the Day following his comments on social media about the Government’s asylum policy.
Just over a quarter (27%) thought that the broadcaster was right to suspend the popular host and a fifth (20%) said they didn't know. Labour (75%) and Liberal Democrat (73%) voters were most likely to think that the BBC made the wrong decision compared to just over a third (36%) of Conservatives. In comparison, half (51%) of Tory voters believe the broadcaster made the right decision, along with 10% of Labour voters and 14% of Liberal Democrats.
Much of the BBC’s television and radio coverage has been impacted following Lineker’s suspension. Half (51%) of Britons believed that presenters on the likes of Football Focus were right to pull out of programmes while 28% thought they were wrong to do so. View again split along political lines with Labour (75%) and Liberal Democrats (68%) being more likely than Conservatives (33%) to think presenters made the right decision, whereas Tories (51%) were more likely than Labour (10%) and Liberal Democrats (13%) to believe they made the wrong decision.
YouGov’s data reveals that half of Britons have either a very (24%) or somewhat (26%) favourable view of Lineker compared to just under a third who have a somewhat unfavourable (12%) or very unfavourable (18%) view of the former England captain. Views about the presenter divide along political lines with Conservatives far more likely to have unfavourable views while Labour and Liberal Democrat voters are more likely to view Lineker more favourably.
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The poll comes as Gary Lineker’s son said he believed his father would return to Match Of The Day – but that he would not “back down on his word”. The Sunday Mirror reported that the former England player’s eldest son George claimed his father had been “a bit disappointed” by the BBC asking him to step back from hosting Saturday’s Match Of The Day (MOTD).
However, he said Lineker had been “overwhelmed by the support” of fellow pundits who had withdrawn from various BBC sports shows in solidarity with him, particularly his MOTD co-presenters Ian Wright and Alan Shearer. George told The Sunday Mirror: “Dad is a good man, a good human, and I’m proud of him for standing by his word. That’s why he was pulled off the show – because he wouldn’t apologise. But he will always speak up for people who don’t have a voice.
“He is passionate about helping refugee charities – he took in two refugees who he is still in touch with and trying to help. It means a lot to him to stand up for people whose only hope is to escape a country with only the clothes on their back. That’s why he’s been so firm.
“Will he go back to Match of the Day? I think so – he loves Match of the Day. But he won’t ever back down on his word.”
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