Gary Lineker will be back on the BBC this weekend – but his much-anticipated return won’t be made presenting Match of the Day.
The BBC announced on Monday morning that Lineker would return after the corporation backed down following a weekend of chaos. Lineker had been suspended by the broadcaster on Friday after he refused to apologise for tweeting criticism of the Government’s bill on illegal migrants.
BBC director general Tim Davie spent the weekend in talks with Lineker in a bid to resolve the situation, which spiralled out of control after his colleagues refused to work in solidarity with him. Match of the Day was broadcast as a 20-minute show being without a presenter, pundits or commentary, while Match of the Day 2, the live WSL and 5 Live schedule were also impacted.
Davie announced a review of the BBC’s impartiality agreement on Monday in a statement which referred to “a difficult period for staff”. The broadcaster is desperately hoping it can put the fiasco behind it and return to business as usual this coming weekend.
Lineker's next appearance on the BBC will be to present coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final clash between Manchester City and Burnley on Saturday evening. The match will be live on BBC One from 5.25pm ahead of kick-off at 5.45pm. It will have plenty of narrative, with Burnley boss Vincent Kompany returning to his former club.
However, Mirror Football understands that Lineker will not then present Match of the Day on Saturday evening, with Mark Chapman instead in the presenter’s chair for the Premier League highlights programme. Chapman is a regular across the BBC’s sports offerings, but followed colleagues Alan Shearer and Ian Wright in refusing to work on the weekend.
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Tweeting for the first time since his suspension, Lineker thanked the public for the support, while pointedly referring to the plight of refugees.
He said: "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. Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming."
"I have been presenting sport on the BBC for almost 3 decades and am immeasurably proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world," he continued. "I cannot wait to get back in the MOTD chair on Saturday.
"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.
"We remain a country of predominantly tolerant, welcoming and generous people. Thank you."
