While he officially returned to the BBC on Saturday, Gary Lineker was missing in action from Match of the Day, the show heavily impacted by last week's controversy. And his absence came as he made a 'defiant' stance as he resumed his hosting duties.
Long-serving presenter Gary was told to 'step down' from his role earlier this month, over a tweet which saw compare the language used to launch a new Government asylum seeker policy with 1930s Germany. As other BBC colleagues, including Alan Shearer and Micah Richards refused to work in support of Gary, with crew members also following suit, the March 11 edition of Match of the Day lasted just 20 minutes.
With no commentary or expert analysis of any of the Premier League matches played earlier the day, the show aired in a completely different format and ran drastically shorter than normal.
READ MORE: Alan Shearer addresses 'impossible situation' on return to BBC
It was announced at the start of this week that former Leicester City and England striker Gary would return to the BBC to anchor FA Cup coverage on Saturday, with him releasing an emotional statement in response.
However, while he was in the studio to oversee Manchester City v Burnley, alongside Alan and Micah, he played no part in Match of the Day.
Instead, the long-running highlights show was confirmed to be hosted by Gary's BBC colleague Mark Chapman, an obvious replacement. And the reason forr Gary's absence is likely to be down to the fact that he'd find it difficult to get down to the MOTD studio, having been at the Etihad to see Man City win.
Prior to kick off, Gary had a message for fans from the commentary box, sharing a picture of him ready to go live and writing: "Ah the joys of being allowed to stick to football"
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