The BBC have been forced to pull another sports show off air amid the row about Gary Lineker.
The broadcaster has been in turmoil since they confirmed they had asked the presenter not to appear on Match of the Day as he usually did on Saturday following a tweet he had made this week. Lineker had become embroiled in a row with Conservative party MPs over his opposition to the government's Illegal Migration bill.
As a result of the tweet, the BBC said they needed to speak to Lineker to work out their position on social media before he returned to the show. It meant he couldn't appear today, and a string of other shows have also been cancelled.
Final Score will now not air in its usual 4.30pm slot, and instead an old episode of The Repair Shop will be broadcasted.
Football commentator Chris Wise confirmed he would not be on the programme today, and that it would not air.
"Just to confirm that I won’t be working for BBC Final Score today. The programme is not going ahead. All of us need to stand together," he wrote on Twitter, with his tweet receiving support from sporting fans.
The Mirror has launched a petition to have Gary Lineker reinstated at the BBC and as the host of Match of the Day. Sign it here.
Multiple presenters have pulled out of sports shows this weekend, including Alan Shearer and Ian Wright as well as Alex Scott, who usually leads Football Focus on a weekend. They have all stood down, amongst others, in solidarity with Gary Lineker.
It's a fresh blow for the BBC, who already had to cancel Football Focus, whilst Match of the Day will go ahead, but without the usual commentary from Lineker, Wright and Shearer. It is expected the programme will be shortened as a result.
In a statement, the BBC said of their limited sports coverage this weekend: "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."
Radio coverage of sport for the BBC has also been affected as many more stars walk out of their presenting roles in solidarity.
The Mirror has launched a petition to have Gary Lineker reinstated at the BBC and as the host of Match of the Day. Sign it here.
