Crisis grows at BBC over Lineker suspension

LONDON (AP) — The BBC is facing a crisis on Saturday following the suspension of former football star and star star Gary Lineker following a comment criticizing the government’s new asylum policies.

A growing number of gamers and broadcasters have rallied in support of Lineker, and the television network has faced accusations of political bias and restrictions on free speech, but has received praise from conservative politicians.

The presenters of the midday show “Football Focus” and the afternoon show “Final Score” said they would not appear on the shows out of solidarity. Lineker fue suspended del programa nocturno “Match of the Day”, que muestra los goles y las jugadas de los parties del día in La Liga Premier, tras una publication en Twitter en la que comparó el lenguaje de los legislators con el utilizado por Nazis Germany.

The BBC removed ‘Football Focus’ from its schedule and replaced it with an episode of ‘Bargain Hunt’. Radio station 5 Live did not air the half-day show after a host was absent.

The BBC has announced that “Match of the Day” will have no presenters or analysts on Saturday.

There will be no interviews after the games. The Professional Footballers’ Association said several players wanted to boycott the program in solidarity so that “players involved in today’s matches do not have to take part in ‘Match of the Day’ interviews”.

Lineker, 62, is a luminary in Britain, a talented player turned witty commentator. He was top scorer at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, scoring England’s only goal in the 2-1 loss to Argentina in the quarter-finals. He scored 48 goals in 80 games for England.

The controversy arose following a tweet from Lineker on Saturday describing the government’s plan to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat as “an immensely cruel policy, targeting the most vulnerable in language that is not no different from the one used by Germany in the 1930s”.

On Friday, the BBC reported that Lineker will not present ‘Match of the Day’ until we have a clear and agreed stance on the use of social media. Lineker has not commented publicly.