Gary Lineker has been "overwhelmed" by support from his Match of the Day colleagues after they decided to boycott Saturday night's show. The broadcaster announced that the England legend would be 'stepping back' from the popular football program on Friday after he "breached guidelines" by criticising the government's new Migration Bill on social media.
However, the broadcaster's decision, which was not agreed upon amicably, prompted a major backlash from fans and Match of the Day colleagues. Ian Wright and Alan Shearer announced they would not be appearing on the show as other potential replacements ruled themselves out.
According to the Mirror, the BBC has now announced that Match of the Day will not feature any punditry or a host. Lineker is said to be overwhelmed by the outpouring of support he has had from his fellow pundits.
A source told the Sun: “This has been a tumultuous 24 hours. Gary is in shock and had no idea this was coming. He wanted to go on air, make no bones about it, this was not his decision. Privately, everyone at the Beeb is in meltdown too. They genuinely don’t know how they will get a show out because no one wants to touch it.
“Everyone in the industry is appalled at how Gary has been hung out to dry, and the general BBC inconsistency. The support has been overwhelming which, essentially, is a massive pie in the face for the BBC.”
In a statement issued late on Friday night, the BBC 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. We understand their position and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry.”
Commentators have also joined in the protest, announcing that they too would be stepping down from Saturday's broadcast in solidarity as anger rises over the decision. In another blow to the BBC, it has emerged that Premier League players have been in touch with The Professional Footballers Association (PFA) over boycotting their contracted media duties this weekend.
The organisation has made it clear that they will support any players who decide they are unwilling to speak to the BBC either before or after this weekend's round of domestic matches.
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