Alan Shearer and Ian Wright will be welcomed back to Match of the Day with open arms after the BBC backed down in the row over Gary Lineker.
The BBC announced on Monday morning that Lineker would return to their flagship Premier League highlights programme after a weekend of chaos. Lineker had been suspended by the broadcaster after he refused to apologise for tweeting criticism of the Government’s bill on illegal migrants.
The decision backfired spectacularly, with Lineker sticking to his guns and his colleagues refusing to work in solidarity. Match of the Day was reduced to a shadow of its former self, with a 20-minute show being broadcasted without a presenter, pundits or commentary, while Match of the Day 2, the live WSL and 5 Live schedule were also impacted.
Shearer and Wright were among several BBC pundits to boycott their roles over the weekend. Like Lineker, they will now resume their roles on Match of the Day and Mirror Football understands there will be no punishment dished out by BBC bosses for their actions.
Wright was the first BBC pundit to break ranks and declare his support for Lineker on Friday afternoon. Shearer followed soon after, ensuring that Match of the Day had lost its three highest-profile stars in quick succession. After boycotting the BBC, the duo worked for Premier League Productions on Sunday.
After a bruising weekend which saw the corporation attacked from all angles, the BBC is desperate to get things back on track. The BBC has been forced to back down and compromise in bringing Lineker back amid a review into its impartiality rules and are aware of the ill feeling among staff over its handling of the debacle.
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In his first words since being reinstated, Lineker has made it clear that he stands by his comments, in which he called the Government’s language “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”. The statement from the BBC’s under-fire director general Tim Davie made it clear how keen the broadcaster is to move on from the chaotic events of the weekend.
He said: “Everyone recognises this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences. I apologise for this.
"The potential confusion caused by the grey areas of the BBC’s social media guidance that was introduced in 2020 is recognised. I want to get matters resolved and our sport content back on air.
“Impartiality is important to the BBC. It is also important to the public. The BBC has a commitment to impartiality in its Charter and a commitment to freedom of expression. That is a difficult balancing act to get right where people are subject to different contracts and on air positions, and with different audience and social media profiles.
“The BBC’s social media guidance is designed to help manage these sometimes difficult challenges and I am aware there is a need to ensure that the guidance is up to this task. It should be clear, proportionate, and appropriate.”
