Gary Lineker to receive BBC apology before Match of the Day return

Gary Lineker is reportedly set to receive an apology from the BBC after ‘stepping back’ from his presenting duties on Match of the Day over the weekend. The decision to suspend Lineker from his role over comments made on Twitter last week sparked a furious backlash from across the world of football, with several of the 62-year-old’s colleagues refusing to go on air in protest.

Ian Wright and Alan Shearer quickly announced that they would not be appearing on Match of the Day in solidarity with Lineker, while the likes of Alex Scott and Jermaine Jenas ruled themselves out of the running to replace the former England striker as host. Discussions have been taking place between Lineker and the BBC in recent days and it seems as though the organisation is prepared to back down by offering an apology before reinstating him as the face of their football coverage, according to Sky Sports.

The news of Lineker’s return was confirmed by the BBC in an official statement on Monday morning, which also revealed that an independent review into the company’s social media policies will be conducted in due course.

BBC director general Tim Davie said: “Shortly, the BBC will announce who will conduct that review. Whilst this work is undertaken, the BBC’s current social media guidance remains in place. 

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“Gary is a valued part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I look forward to him presenting our coverage this coming weekend.”

The statement also included a brief quote from Lineker, which read: “I am glad that we have found a way forward. I support this review and look forward to getting back on air.”

Lineker has been involved in a bitter row over impartiality over the last few days after he compared the language used by the government to launch a new asylum policy with Germany in the 1930s. The BBC said in an earlier statement that he would ‘step back’ from his presenting duties in light of the situation, although Lineker is said to have refuted this wording and that he had instead been forced off air due to his refusal to apologise for his comments.

Match of the Day was eventually broadcast on Saturday night in a condensed format without pundits or commentators, while several of the BBC’s other football programmes were also cancelled including Football Focus and Final Score. The broadcaster went on to experience further disruption to its scheduled programming on Sunday, with the Women’s Super League match between Chelsea and Manchester United being shown without any punditry or half-time analysis.

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