The BBC are not set to air Football Focus and Final Score on Saturday, with pundits collectively standing with Gary Lineker. It was announced that the Match of the Day presenter had been asked to ‘step down’ after his comments on Twitter sparked uproar online.
The BBC revealed on Friday evening that they had asked Lineker to step down after he criticised the Home Secretary’s new asylum policy and likened it to Nazi Germany. The announcement sparked uproar, with Alan Shearer and Ian Wright promptly withdrawing from Saturday’s coverage to show solidarity with their colleague.
Numerous pundits followed suit and revealed that they would not replace Lineker on Match of the Day, nor would they undertake their usual work for the BBC until the matter was settled. Alex Scott revealed that she pulled out of presenting the BBC’s Football Focus on Friday evening after watching the story involving her colleague unfold.
The 38-year-old tweeted: “I made a decision last night that even though I love my show and we have had an incredible week winning an SJA for football focus that it doesn’t feel right for me to go ahead with the show today.. Hopefully I will be back in the chair next week….”
Kelly Somers, who was reportedly approached to replace Scott on Football Focus, added to the public announcements, tweeting: “Just to confirm I won’t be on BBC television today.”
It remains to be seen whether the BBC decide to televise Match of the Day on Saturday evening. They have already announced that the show has been forced to undertake a completely different format due to their ‘pundit strike’, with footage from the six fixtures set to be stitched together with no in-studio analysis.
However, match highlights could sound different too, with some commentators siding with Lineker and ruling that they will not be covering matches over the weekend. The Professional Footballers’ Association has also ruled that players involved in matches have been told not to participate in interviews with Match of the Day as well.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Football News Click Here
