The Premier League have informed clubs participating in Saturday's round of fixtures that they will not be asked to conduct interviews for Match of the Day.
The development comes after the BBC decided to remove long-time host Gary Lineker from his role on Friday evening in the wake of social media comments he made earlier this week in relation to a controversial new government Migration Bill.
For the first time ever, Saturday's Match of the Day will not have a host, studio guests or its regular BBC commentators following a mass boycott of the show from staff after the decision to axe Lineker was made.
Regular pundits Ian Wright and Alan Shearer announced that they had made the decision not to participate in this weekend's broadcast after it had been confirmed that Lineker would not be continuing in the role he has held for over 24 years. And plenty of others, including potential stand-in hosts and all six of the commentators who were scheduled to take in Saturday night's show, have since followed suit.
A report from The Sun has now outlined how Lineker has been left "overwhelmed" by the actions of his BBC colleagues after the decision was made to take him off the air.
Furthermore, various Premier League players had been in contact with The Professional Footballer's Association over boycotting their media obligations with the BBC to show solidarity with Lineker. The PFA have outlined that they will support anybody who refuses to speak to the BBC this weekend.
A spokesperson for The PFA said on Saturday: “We have been informed that players involved in today’s games will not be asked to participate in interviews with Match of the Day.
“The PFA have been speaking to members who wanted to take a collective position and to be able to show their support for those who have chosen not to be part of tonight’s programme.
“During those conversations we made clear that, as their union, we would support all members who might face consequences for choosing not to complete their broadcast commitments. This is a common sense decision that ensures players won’t now be put in that position.”
The backlash from the decision to remove Lineker has also affected other offerings in the BBC Sport schedule. It was confirmed on Saturday morning that Alex Scott, mooted as a potential replacement for Lineker, had pulled out of her hosting duties for Football Focus in order to show support and solidarity for Lineker.
She had previously indicated on social media that she would not be interested in standing in for Lineker as the show's host. Jermaine Jenas, another name tipped to stand in, also made it clear he would not be interested in doing so on either.
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.
