Match of the Day 2 will be ‘much reduced’ as Gary Lineker row deepens

BBC sports coverage is set to be disrupted for a second day in a row, with MOTD2 set to be ‘much reduced’ tonight after being hit by pundit and presenter walkouts amid the ongoing row involving Gary Lineker.

Scheduled programming of the Women’s Super League this afternoon is also due to be impacted by the row that has engulfed the corporation since it took the Match of the Day presenter off-air after he criticised the Government’s policy on small boat crossings.

Last night’s MOTD was severely curtailed to 20 minutes, with no analysis or commentary as pundits and play-by-play announcers refused to appear in solidarity with the freelancer.

The Beeb’s director-general, Tim Davie, has apologised for the disruption to the schedules, but has stood firm amid calls for him to resign from some within the organisation.

And with Lineker’s eldest son saying his father would never back down or apologise for his beliefs, the row looks set to drag on for a second day and potentially even longer.

Sports fans looking to watch football coverage on the licence payer-funded channel today will see their plans hit, according to the corporation’s sports editor Dan Roan. 

He tweeted: ‘At this stage BBC expecting the planned WSL match between Chelsea and Manchester United this afternoon to be on BBC2, but with no pre-match presentation. Expecting MOTD2 to follow similar much-reduced format to MOTD last night.’

Mark Chapman, who normally hosts Sunday night’s MOTD2 has refused to take part, while Jermaine Defoe, who was due to appear on the show as a pundit, said yesterday he was also boycotting.

Defoe tweeted: ‘It’s always such a privilege to work with BBC MOTD. But tomorrow I have taken the decision to stand down from my punditry duties.’

Lineker was forced off air this weekend over a tweet in which he compared the government’s latest stance on migrants to the language used in 1930s Germany.

The latest policy, which would see desperate people who cross on small boats banned from applying to reach the UK for life, has been widely condemned by human rights groups, with claims it could breach international law.

The BBC has strict impartiality rules for employees and freelance staff, including on social media, which new Director General Tim Davie is understood to have clamped down on.

But Lineker’s two-year contract was signed before Davie came to the helm, leaving the corporation unable to force him to comply with tougher standards, the Independent reports. 

When asked whether he would resign over the chaos, Davie apologised for disruption but refused to step down.

It comes after it was revealed BBC staff are fuming at how slowly the broadcaster is responding to the crisis, with its flagship sports show in tatters last night.

One BBC journalist said: ‘This is Armageddon – essentially an entire division of the BBC has gone on strike.’ 

Sporting heavyweights have already walked away from football programming across the BBC, but it is now reported that other sports staff members could follow suit. 

There are already doubts about whether coverage of the WSL crunch match between Chelsea and Manchester United will go ahead. 

Now it appears Gabby Logan and her Six Nations coverage team may scupper the BBC’s coverage of the tournament with yet more walkouts.

This morning Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said ‘people’s confidence’ should be restored in knowing the BBC has no ‘political agenda’ when he was asked about the Gary Lineker row.

He told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: ‘I don’t agree with his comments and I personally think that he was wrong to say what he said, but I don’t think it’s for me to decide how that issue is resolved.’

‘If you believe in BBC independence, then it’s not for the chancellor or any other government minister to say how these issues are resolved.’

Asked whether the corporation’s leadership is too close to the party of Government, Mr Hunt said it was not for him ‘to make those judgments’.

Ahead of last night’s MOTD starting, a continuity announcer said: ‘Now on BBC One, we’re sorry that we’re unable to show our normal Match Of The Day including commentary tonight. But here now is the best action from today’s Premier League matches.’ 

Match Of The Day lasted just 20 minutes following a day of chaos for the BBC as big-name stars walked out in protest alongside host Gary Lineker, leaving the broadcaster having to cancel most of its football coverage.

It was rebranded as ‘Premier League Highlights’ during its broadcast on Saturday evening.

After the shortened version of the usually two-to-three-hour-long programme, the BBC aired Sully, a film about the Hudson River plane crash.

The BBC’s Director-General refused to resign over the chaos caused after Gary Lineker was axed from Match Of The Day and said the football host is ‘the best’ and he wants him ‘back on air’.

Tim Davie apologised for the scheduling mayhem but said the corporation was ‘working very hard to resolve this situation’ and he would ‘absolutely not’ resign.

Davie told the BBC: ‘Gary Lineker is a superb broadcaster. He’s the best in the business. He’s an outstanding, brilliant broadcaster and success for me is that Gary gets back on air.’

Asked whether he should resign, Davie said: ‘Absolutely not. I think my job is to serve licence fee payers and deliver a BBC that is really focused on world class, impartial, landmark output.’ 

He added: ‘I’m sorry audiences have been affected and they haven’t got the programming. 

‘As a keen sports fan I know to miss programming is a real blow and I’m sorry about that. We are working very hard to resolve this situation and make sure we get output on air.

‘Everyone wants to calmly resolve the situation. Gary Lineker’s the best in the business – that’s not for debate.’

Mr Davie also said that he does not feel this is about ‘left or right’ politics, but about the corporation’s ability to balance free speech and impartiality, adding: ‘We’re fierce champions of democratic debate, free speech, but with that comes the need to create an impartial organisation.’ 

On Saturday Lineker’s son George said while his father may return to the flagship football programme, he would not apologise. 

Speaking to the Mirror, George, 31, said although his father had been ‘hurt’ by some of the reaction to his ‘Nazi’ jibe tweet against the government’s asylum policy, he ‘wouldn’t back down’. 

He told the Mirror: ‘Will he go back to Match of the Day? I think so – he loves Match of the Day. But he won’t ever back down on his word.’ 

He added: ‘Dad is a good human and I’m proud of him for standing by his word.

‘That’s why he was pulled off the show – because he wouldn’t apologise.’

George said his father would always speak for people without a voice and that refugee welfare was important to him.

On Saturday, Football Focus and Final Score were hurriedly replaced by old episodes of Bargain Hunt and The Repair Shop after hosts Alex Scott, Kelly Somers, and Jason Mohammad all refused to take to the airwaves in solidarity with the former England star. 

Football Focus host Alex Scott Tweeted that broadcasting the show ‘just doesn’t feel right.’

She wrote: ‘I made a decision last night that even though I love doing football focus and we have had an incredible week winning an SJA award that it just doesn’t feel right going ahead with the show today. Hopefully I will be back in the chair next week…’

BBC Radio 5 Live’s schedule was also hit after football presenter Mark Chapman pulled out of broadcasting alongside Colin Murray, and pundit Dion Dublin, forcing the replacement of 5 Live Sport and Fighting Talk with old podcast episodes. 

Jermain Defoe, who was due to appear on Match of the Day 2 today, also tweeted: ‘It’s always such a privilege to work with BBC MOTD. But tomorrow I have taken the decision to stand down from my punditry duties. @GaryLineker.’ 

In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: ‘The BBC will only be able to bring limited sport programming this weekend and our schedules will be updated to reflect that.

‘We are sorry for these changes which we recognise will be disappointing for BBC sport fans.

‘We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon.’ 

To add to the turmoil, Ian Wright – who refused to appear on TV on Saturday – said: ‘If the BBC get rid of Gary Lineker, I’m out, I’m gone.’

It came as a YouGov snap poll revealed a majority (53 per cent) of the British public think the BBC was wrong to suspend Gary Lineker from Match of the Day following his comments on social media about the government’s asylum policy.

The data finds that just over a quarter (27 per cent) think the broadcaster was right to suspend him and a fifth (20 per cent) don’t know.

Labour (75 per cent) and Liberal Democrat (73 per cent) voters are most likely to think the BBC made the wrong decision compared to just over a third (36 per cent) of Conservatives. 

In comparison, half (51 per cent) of Tory voters believe the broadcaster made the right decision along with 10 per cent of Labour voters and 14 per cent of Liberal Democrats.

Instead of presenting MOTD, Lineker watched Leicester lose 3-1 to Chelsea on Saturday and was pictured taking photos with fans before the game.

The beloved MOTD host has been backed by his fellow presenters and sports stars.

Speaking after his side’s 1-0 loss to Bournemouth, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: ‘I’m not native but I cannot see why you would ask someone to step back for saying that.

‘Everybody wants to be so concerned about doing things in the right manner, saying the right stuff.

‘If you don’t do that then you create a s***storm, it is a really difficult world to live in.

‘If I understand it right, it is a message, an opinion about human rights and that should be possible to say.’

Lineker’s England teammate at two world cups John Barnes accused the BBC of ‘playing into’ the government’s hands by making the story about their chaotic actions rather than the controversial immigration bill.

Writing in The Mirror, he said: ‘The Tories are quite happy for this distraction.

‘Gary is a football legend to so many. Most people are supporting him because he’s right.’

A leaked email sent to BBC staff has also surfaced on social media showing the Director of Sport Barbara Slater apologising to her team for the continuous chaos which has unravelled at the broadcaster this afternoon.

She thanked staff for their hard work and professionalism despite many boycotting their responsibilities this afternoon in solidarity with Lineker. 

Slater said that the BBC ‘understood how unsettling this is for all of you’.

The BBC has reportedly told staff there will be a series of meetings on Monday so they can ‘have their say’ about the fiasco. 

Confusion over what the BBC’s impartiality guidelines actually mean are thought to have been partly to blame for the chaos that has ensued since Lineker made his ‘Nazi’ jibe. 

BBC neutrality has come under recent scrutiny over revelations that its chairman, Richard Sharp – a Conservative Party donor – helped arrange a loan for then Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2021, weeks before Sharp was appointed to the BBC post on the government’s recommendation.

Former BBC Director General Greg Dyke said the network ‘undermined its own credibility’ by appearing to bow to government pressure.

Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said the BBC was ‘caving in’ to political pressure from Conservative lawmakers.

‘They got this one badly wrong and now they’re very, very exposed,’ he said.

But the BBC’s issue may extend beyond their own employees, with Jurgen Klopp leading a managers and players boycott of the broadcaster this weekend. 

The Premier League agreed to let players and managers from the 12 clubs playing on Saturday avoid giving interviews to the programme. 

A PFA spokesperson said on the decision: ‘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.’