Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has messaged Arsenal hero Ian Wright over his decision to step down from punditry duties for Match of the Day in a show of solidarity with BBC Sport presenter Gary Lineker. Lineker has "stepped back" from his presenter role on the show until further notice after the former England international came under fire for comparing the language used by the government in their asylum plans earlier this week to "that used by Germany in the 30s" in a tweet posted on Tuesday afternoon.
A spokesperson from the BBC revealed that Match of the Day will be going ahead, but with no presenters or pundits during the show. “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," they said.
The Premier League has informed the 12 clubs playing matches on Saturday afternoon, along with the LMA and the PFA, that players and managers will not receive requests for Match of the Day post-match interviews. A number of commentators that cover football matches for the BBC on Match of the Day have also stepped down, with the show now expected only to televise highlights from each match using a world commentary feed with no punditry or interviews.
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Neville has now weighed-in by messaging Wright after his decision to stand down. He went on question who will present the programme on Saturday night.
Addressing his 5.4million followers on Twitter, Neville said: "I had no doubt Ian Wright would do that. Who the hell is going to go on now!"
In a separate tweet relaying what Wright said, Neville added: "You're more than good." Lineker has already indirectly responded to the BBC's decision to remove him from the show through fellow presenter Dan Walker.
During a live news bulletin on Channel 5, Walker revealed he was in conversation via text message with Lineker about the news. "I'm actually texting the man himself at the moment," Walker said.
"I've asked Gary Lineker the question about whether he is stepping back or whether the BBC have told him to step back. I've told him that if responds to me I will read out that text on air.
"There is one word in there I can't use, but he has said, 'no, they've told me I have to step back', so Gary Lineker wants to continue to present Match of the Day and is not apologising for what he said, he says its a BBC decision to force him to not present the programme at the moment."
Due to his links with other broadcasters, Neville does not feature on the Match of the Day panel, although he has appeared alongside Lineker, Wright and Shearer for both BBC and ITV Sport at major international tournaments, such as the recent World Cup showcase in Qatar. BBC confirmed that there will be no punditry or studio hosts, with only the match highlights set to be broadcasted tonight.
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