Gary Lineker’s back on Match of the Day and these 23 tweets surely say it best
They think it’s all over … and it is now, after the BBC announced that Gary Lineker would be returning to Match of the Day after he was taken off air for daring to criticise the government’s asylum policy on Twitter.
It’s a humiliating reverse ferret for the BBC director general Tim Davie who bowed to political pressure to remove Lineker, only to bow once again to a different sort of pressure after many of Lineker’s BBC Sport colleagues walked out in support.
Here’s what Lineker had to say on Twitter.
After a surreal few days, I’m delighted that we have navigated a way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity. Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming. 1/4
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
I have been presenting sport on the BBC for almost 3 decades and am immeasurably proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world. I cannot wait to get back in the MOTD chair on Saturday. 2/4
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
A final thought: however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away. It’s heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight from so many of you. 3/4
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
We remain a country of predominantly tolerant, welcoming and generous people. Thank you. ❤️ 4/4
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) March 13, 2023
It looks like Davie will remain in his post, although the same surely cannot be said for BBC chairman Richard Sharp, whose own impartiality – or otherwise – is the (proper) big story here.
But that’s enough of all that, here are our favourite 23 things people said about the whole thing on Twitter. Looking forward to Match of the Day already.
1.
https://twitter.com/Nick_Pettigrew/status/1635222611537051648?s=20
2.
https://twitter.com/mrdavemacleod/status/1635223704736243712?s=20
3.
Well done @garylineker at enduring this ridiculous, contrived “controversy”; and demonstrating that, as ever, people are perfectly capable of handling the idea that a grown-up can have a public job and also be separately, politically engaged in their own time. We’re not babies.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) March 13, 2023
4.
"I think I've acted in the right way throughout this," says Tim Davie, who insisted that Gary Lineker had to step aside, then reinstated him just three days later after apologising to him. pic.twitter.com/C8FeWlHBNn
— Adam Bienkov (@AdamBienkov) March 13, 2023
5.
Unnecessary fixture decided by an own goal
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) March 13, 2023
6.
News just in: Lee Anderson has exploded
— fleetstreetfox (@fleetstreetfox) March 13, 2023
7.
Lineker is back this weekend and the BBC is having an independent review of its social media guidelines.
Why waste money on that? It’s quite simple:
Anyone working in news and current affairs must remain impartial. Anyone else can say what they like, cos it’s a FREE COUNTRY.— Ian Hyland (@HylandIan) March 13, 2023
8.
https://twitter.com/BeardedGenius/status/1635227338375049218?s=20
9.
It shouldn't seem like such a shock to the system to see someone with millions of followers talking in the calm, empathetic, confident manner of a true leader: but, it is. We don't even realise how feral public debate has become. https://t.co/4ovkfUxky9
— Caitlin Moran (@caitlinmoran) March 13, 2023
10.
https://twitter.com/TobyonTV/status/1635222501323309058?s=20
11.
So in conclusion the BBC took a very tough stance over a grey area.
— Michael Spicer (@MrMichaelSpicer) March 13, 2023
12.
FINAL SCORE:
Lineker 7 (Seven) – 0 Braverman https://t.co/u8DvAlNqjb— Count Binface (@CountBinface) March 13, 2023
