The BBC has apologised for the changes made to this weekend’s sporting schedule and has said it is “working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon”.
The broadcaster’s TV and radio timetables have been disrupted as a number of pundits have pulled out of shows.
Among the sports presenters are Alex Scott, Kelly Somers and Jason Mohammad who said they were pulling out of their shows, resulting in Football Focus and Final Score being scrapped from the BBC One schedule, while 5 Live’s radio coverage was also altered.
Saturday’s TV and radio sporting timetables were changed at the last minute and Sunday’s Match Of The Day has also been thrown into question.
This comes after Gary Lineker was told to step back from hosting Match Of The Day in a row over impartiality.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC will only be able to bring limited sport programming this weekend and our schedules will be updated to reflect that.
“We are sorry for these changes which we recognise will be disappointing for BBC sport fans.
“We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon.”
Morning all. As you know, Final Score is a TV show very close to my heart. However - I have this morning informed the BBC that I will not be presenting the show this afternoon on BBC One.
— Jason Mohammad (@jasonmohammad) March 11, 2023
What did Gary Lineker say?
This comes after Lineker, 62, was taken off air for a tweet which compared the language used to launch a new Government asylum seeker policy with 1930s Germany.
On Tuesday (March 7) Lineker commented on a Twitter video put out by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, in which she unveiled government plans to stop migrant boats crossing the Channel.
“Good heavens, this is beyond awful,” he wrote.
Responding to the sports broadcaster, another Twitter user described his comment as “out of order”, adding that it was “easy to pontificate when it doesn’t affect you”.
Lineker responded: “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, and I’m out of order?”
The broadcaster said it had “decided” Lineker would take a break from presenting the highlights programme until an “agreed and clear position” on his use of social media had been reached.
