'Taking Gary Lineker off Match of the Day was a mistake', Greg Dyke says, as pundits pull out of football shows

11 March 2023, 09:05 | Updated: 11 March 2023, 10:04

The decision to take Gary Lineker off the air was a mistake, Greg Dyke has said, as pundits continue to walk out of football shows.

Greg Dyke, who ran the BBC between 2000 and 2004, said that Lineker's comments about the government's migrants policy did not break impartiality rules.

"I think what the BBC did yesterday was mistaken", he said. He added: "Basically Gary Lineker was a footballer, and a brilliant footballer."

Mr Dyke went on: "If you thought on Match of the Day tonight he had been talking about immigration policy, then I can understand...and it doesn’t impeach, I don’t think, on the BBC’s impartiality."

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It comes as Match of the Day will go ahead on Saturday without a presenter, pundits, or commentators after the suspension of main host Gary Lineker sparked a series of walkouts. Alex Scott also told corporation bosses that she will not host the Football Focus show on Saturday in support of Mr Lineker.

On Friday it was announced that Lineker had been taken off Match of the Day until an agreement is reached over his social media use, after he criticised the government in a series of tweets earlier in the week, comparing language used to launch new government asylum policy with "that used by Germany in the 30s".

A BBC spokesperson said earlier Lineker had been asked to "step back" until there is "an agreed and clear position on his use of social media".

But a source close to Mr Lineker said he had not agreed to "step back" and was instead removed as he is "unwilling to apologise for his comments" on the government's controversial asylum policy.

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Following his suspension, MOTD pundits Alan Shearer and Ian Wright announced they wouldn't be appearing on Saturday's programme in solidarity with the presenter, with Match of the Day 2 presenter Mark Chapman also reportedly ruling himself out.

Regular pundits Jermaine Jenas and Micah Richards said though they weren't scheduled to appear, they would have sat out Saturday's show if they had been.

Fellow pundit Alex Scott also appeared to rule herself out of possibly stepping in to present, posting a "Nah! Not me" GIF on Twitter as speculation mounted about who would front the show in Lineker's absence.

But the BBC then announced that the popular football highlights show would be broadcast without a presenter or pundits, with no studio analysis.

A BBC spokesperson said: "Some of our pundits have said that they don't wish to appear on the programme while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary.

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"We understand their position and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry."

BBC commentators have since announced they won't take part either.

In a statement released on Twitter, the six announcers set to cover Saturday's games said: "As commentators on MOTD, we have decided to step down from tomorrow night's broadcast.

"We know that football fans want to watch their teams should still be able to do so, as management can use world feed commentary if they wish.

"However, in the circumstances we do not feel it would be appropriate to take part in the programme."

The row was sparked by Lineker's response on Twitter to a Home Office video in which Home Secretary Suella Braverman unveiled the government's plans to stop migrants crossing the Channel on small boats.

The ex-England striker wrote: "There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.

"This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the '30s."

The tweets enraged Tory MPs, with him facing criticism from Downing Street, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer and Ms Braverman, who accused him of "diminishing the unspeakable tragedy" of the Holocaust.

Labour has condemned the decision to stand Lineker down from presenting duties, branding the move "cowardly".

A party source said: "The BBC's cowardly decision to take Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure.

"Tory politicians lobbying to get people sacked for disagreeing with Government policies should be laughed at, not pandered to. The BBC should rethink their decision."

Earlier on Friday the BBC said in a statement: "The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.

"The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we've got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.

"When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none.

"We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can't 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."

Lineker tweeted on Thursday that he was "very much looking forward" to presenting Match Of The Day on Saturday.

He previously said that he stood by his criticism of the immigration policy and did not fear suspension.