Ian Wright and Alan Shearer said they will not be appearing on Match of the Day this weekend in a show of solidarity with Gary Lineker, who is stepping back from his presenting duties amid his row with the BBC over its impartiality rules.
Lineker will not present Match of the Day, the BBC's flagship football programme, until further notice, the broadcaster announced in a statement on Friday.
The statement said: "When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none.
Read more: Lineker to step back from Match of the Day role
"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."
Wright soon took to Twitter, writing: "Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity."
Shearer later wrote: "I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night."
Lineker has come 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 on Tuesday. The former England striker said the policy set out by Home Secretary Suella Braverman was 'beyond awful'.
Lineker has stood by his tweet in the following days amid calls from members of government that the BBC speak to him about their impartiality.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster said on Wednesday that it is having a 'frank conversation' with Lineker, and a brief statement has confirmed he will be stepping back from presenting Match of the Day.
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