Gary Lineker has spoken in public for the first time since the BBC decided to pull him off air.
A spokesperson for the BBC confirmed on Friday that Lineker would not be presenting Match of the Day until an agreement has been made regarding 'his future use of social media', following remarks he made about UK immigration. The announcement sent the BBC’s flagship football programme into a crisis.
Fellow pundits Alan Shearer and Ian Wright confirmed on Friday evening that they would not be taking part in Saturday's show. The programme's commentators then confirmed that they would not be taking part, meaning the BBC were forced to broadcast their flagship football show without a presenter, pundits or commentators.
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And speaking for the first time since his suspension was revealed, Lineker, who was out walking his dog when stopped by reporters, said: "Be careful, you will get run over. I can't say anything at the moment, sorry. I just said I can't say anything at the moment."
The Lineker row began after the announcement on Tuesday of government plans to ban people arriving in the UK illegally from ever claiming asylum. The former Everton forward came under fire from Suella Braverman, the home secretary, and a number of Conservative MPs over a tweet he posted in response to the plans being revealed.
Lineker, writing on Twitter, said that it was an 'immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s'. A BBC spokesperson said Lineker would be off air until an agreement was reached on his future use of social media.
“The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days," they said.
“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.”
