The BBC’s most popular sports program is in crisis after the suspension of Gary Lineker – BBC News Arabic

The foundation said it considered his “recent social media activity to be a violation of our guidelines,” adding that “it has been decided that he will stop presenting Match of the Day until we reach an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.”

The show’s commentators Steve Wilson, Connor McNamara, Robyn Quinn and Stephen Wyeth posted a joint statement online saying they “did not feel it would be appropriate to participate in the show” on Saturday.

“We are relieved that football fans who want to watch their teams should still be able to do so,” they said, explaining that alternative sources of match commentary were available for use on the programme.

In response to the growing boycott, the BBC said the program would be broadcast “without studio presentation or (analytical) discussion” and would instead “focus on match action”.

In a subsequent statement, a BBC spokesperson said: “Some of our critics have said they do not wish to appear on the programme, while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary.”

He added, “We understand their position and decided that the program should focus on match events, without studio presentation or (analytical) discussion.”

Meanwhile, BBC Sport has learned that the Premier League has told the 12 clubs, who play matches on Saturday, that players and coaches will not be taking requests for post-match interviews with the programme.

The English Professional Footballers’ Association is believed to be in talks with a number of players, who wanted to show solidarity with Lineker by boycotting the post-match interviews.

Ian Wright was the first critic to say publicly that he would not be appearing on the Saturday programme, tweeting: “Everyone knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be in it tomorrow. Solidarity.”

Former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, who also appears on the show, then said he had “told the BBC I won’t be on the show tomorrow night”.

Shortly after, former Arsenal and England women’s footballer Alex Scott hinted that she would also not appear on the programme, in a post on Twitter.

Lineker has not yet publicly commented on the latest developments but while presenting 5News earlier, former BBC presenter Dan Walker read a live script from the 62-year-old Lineker.

Walker said he sent Lineker a message asking: “What’s going on. Are you going to step back?”

He added that he had received a response saying, “No, they told me [بي بي سي] I must back off.”

The BBC understands that Match of the Day production staff were not told in advance of the BBC’s decision.

And on Tuesday, Home Secretary Soella Braverman outlined the government’s plans to prevent people who arrive in the country illegally from ever seeking asylum, in a bid to tackle a rise in the number of people crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Lineker responded on Twitter, describing the plans as “a cruel policy beyond any measure, targeting the most vulnerable with language not unlike that used by Germany in the 1930s.”

Lineker has presented Match of the Day since 1999 and is the BBC’s highest-paid star, receiving around £1.35m in 2020-21. He works for the BBC as a freelancer.

In the statement announcing he would not present the programme, the BBC said: “When it comes to leading our coverage of football and sport, Gary is second to none.”

She added: “We never say that Gary should not express his opinion, or that he is not entitled to have a point of view on issues that concern him, but we say that he should move away from taking sides in partisan political issues or political differences.”

Speaking to the Today programme, Greg Dick, the BBC’s former director-general, said the BBC had “undermined its credibility” by suspending the presenter and creating the impression it had “bowed to government pressure”.

Dick added that the controversy surrounding the BBC’s chairman, Richard Sharp, and allegations that he helped facilitate a loan for former prime minister, Boris Johnson, had fueled perceptions that the corporation had failed to stand up to government pressure.

Richard Eyre, the BBC’s former editorial policy controller, said the corporation had “no choice” but to take action against Linker.

He told the BBC that Tim Davie, director general of the foundation, “clearly tried” to reach an agreement with Lineker, but failed.

Shadow Foreign Secretary (in the opposition party), David Lammy, wrote on social media that it was “terrifying” to see “a hugely popular broadcaster cowering in front of right-wing fanatics”.

“Our democracy is made of much more durable stuff than this,” he added, adding that the BBC must “take control” and get Gary Lineker back on Match of the Day “where he belongs”.

The British Ministry of Culture and Information said in a statement: “Individual issues are the jurisdiction of the BBC.”