Gary Lineker will be returning to the BBC next weekend to cover the FA cup, according to reports. The presenter, 62, will reportedly front the BBC's FA Cup coverage next Saturday.
It's said he has struck a deal with the broadcaster today (March 12), with the agreement reportedly being announced tomorrow after tense talks amid an impartiality row according to the Mirror. It was announced by the BBC earlier this week that Gary would be taking a break from hosting Match of the Day until they had reached "an agreed and clear position" on his use of social media.
He sparked debate a few days ago after comparing the language used to launch an asylum policy by the UK Government with Germany in the 1930s in a tweet. A source told the Sun: "Gary will be back to host the BBC's FA Cup coverage.
"A deal has been struck. If the BBC have agreed to allow him to keep tweeting his anti-Tory views, it will be seen as a major victory for Gary, but the details of the deal are unclear at this stage."
Various fellow pundits announced that they wouldn't be on BBC shows this weekend after the news broke that Gary would not front Match of the Day on Saturday. Match of the Day aired without presenters or pundits.
The episode - which was cut down to only 20 minutes - featured Premier League highlights without any commentary. A host of celebrities have expressed support for Gary amid the controversy in recent days. On Friday, the BBC announced that Gary would be temporarily stepping back from Match of the Day in a statement.
It read: "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".
