Former England captain Gary Lineker was temporarily removed on Friday from his role as presenter of the BBC\u2019s flagship soccer highlights show in the wake of his criticism of the British government\u2019s new asylum policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The long-running \u201cMatch of the Day\u201d program, which has been a national institution in Britain since the 1960s, will be aired on Saturday \u201cwithout studio presentation or punditry,\u201d the BBC said in an extraordinary development after a slew of Lineker\u2019s colleagues announced they wouldn\u2019t appear on the show without him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a post on Tuesday on his Twitter account that has 8.7 million followers, Lineker \u2014 one of England\u2019s greatest soccer players and now among the U.K.\u2019s most influential media figures \u2014\u00a0compared lawmakers\u2019 language\u00a0about migrants to that used in Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The BBC considers Lineker posting such views on social media as a breach of its guidelines. The network said it held discussions with Lineker over his involvement in \u201cMatch of the Day,\u201d which is broadcast on Saturday nights and shows highlights of English Premier League games that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting \u2018Match of the Day,\u2019\u201d the broadcaster said, \u201cuntil we\u2019ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have never said that Gary should be an opinion-free zone, or that he can\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lineker has yet to make an official comment, though one of his former colleagues on the BBC \u2014 Dan Walker \u2014 said he had been in contact with Lineker and asked him \u201cwhether he is stepping back or whether the BBC have told him to step back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Walker said Lineker replied to him that the BBC \u201ctold me I have to step back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo Gary Lineker wants to continue to present \u2018Match Of The Day\u2019 and is not apologizing for what he has said,\u201d Walker said on Channel 5, where he works, \u201cbut he has said it\u2019s a BBC decision to force him to not present the program at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In solidarity with Lineker,\u00a0Alan Shearer\u00a0and\u00a0Ian Wright\u00a0\u2014 former England players who work as pundits on \u201cMatch of the Day\u201d \u2014 said on Twitter they would not be appearing on the program this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After more of his BBC co-workers, like former soccer players Alex Scott, Jermaine Jenas and Micah Richards, said they would not want to work on \u201cMatch of the Day\u201d because of the treatment of Lineker, the BBC took the decision to change the format of the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSome of our pundits have said that they don\u2019t wish to appear on the program while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary,\u201d the BBC said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe understand their position and we have decided that the program will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conservative lawmakers in Britain have called on the BBC to discipline Lineker, the network\u2019s highest-paid star on 1.35 million pounds ($1.6 million) last year, for saying the government\u2019s plan to\u00a0detain and deport migrants\u00a0arriving by boat is \u201can immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government has called Lineker\u2019s Nazi comparison inappropriate and unacceptable, and some lawmakers said he should be fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 62-year-old Lineker was a household name in Britain well before he became a smooth, knowledgeable presenter of sports shows on the BBC and other broadcasters. He was the leading scorer at the 1986 World Cup and finished his international career with 48 goals in 80 matches for England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His club career included spells with Barcelona, Tottenham, Everton and Leicester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The BBC, which is funded by a license fee paid by all households with a television, has a duty to be impartial and news staff are barred from expressing political opinions. As a freelancer who doesn\u2019t work in news or current affairs, Lineker isn\u2019t bound by the same rules and he often delves into politics and human rights issues with his tweets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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