LONDON (AP) — Gary Lineker will return to the airwaves after the former soccer star’s suspension was revoked by the BBC on Monday over a Twitter post that criticized the British government’s new asylum policy.
“Gary is a valued member of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I can’t wait for him to present our coverage this weekend,” said BBC Director General Tim Davie.
Britain’s national broadcaster was forced to cancel much of its weekend sports programming after Premier League commentators, analysts and players refused to appear on the shows in support of Lineker.
Lineker, one of England’s most successful footballers and Britain’s highest paid TV presenter, was suspended on Friday after he compared the Tory government’s rhetoric on migrants to that used in Nazi Germany. The BBC said the tweet breached its standards of impartiality, although critics accused the network of stifling free speech.
Davie said an independent review of the BBC’s social media standards would be carried out to address “grey areas” in its protocol.