The suspension of former footballer Gary Lineker as presenter by the BBC on Saturday drew strong criticism against the British public broadcaster. Lineker won support from several politicians and fellow commentators after the tweet criticized the government’s asylum policy.

‘Mutiny for Lineker’, ‘Mutiny at BCC’, ‘Beebs go too far’: British newspaper front pages on Saturday paid more attention to the polemic surrounding popular football presenter ‘Match of the Day’ than to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to Paris yesterday. The former England national team striker, who has hosted the show since 1999, was suspended by the BBC after a critical tweet on Tuesday.

‘cruel policy’

Lineker criticized a new draft law from the Conservative government that would bar migrants arriving in Britain by boat from applying for asylum. On Twitter, Lineker described the new asylum policy as “an incredibly cruel policy targeting the most vulnerable in a language not dissimilar to 1930s German.”

His statement caused fierce controversy. However, the issue of migration is already sensitive. But the BBC is also often criticized from the right for being partisan.

The BBC first said a meeting would follow with Lineker. But on Friday, the BBC ruled that Lineker would no longer be showing ‘Match of the Day’ ‘until we have a clear agreement on his use of social media’.

Solidarity

Six commenters have responded that they pulled out of the show due to ‘circumstances’. Some of the event’s guests, such as former England internationals Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, did the same. “Everyone knows what ‘Today’s Game’ means to me, but I won’t be there tomorrow. Solidarity,” Ian Wright said Friday.

An online petition to support Lineker has received 135,000 signatures. The hashtag #BoycotBBC is also trending on Twitter. Political criticism has also been heard, from the socialist opposition to Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who called the BBC’s position “untenable”. According to him, it ‘jeopardizes freedom of expression, under political pressure’.

The Daily Express wrote on Saturday that a group of 36 Conservative MPs allegedly wrote to the BBC’s managing director, Tim Davie, demanding an “unconditional” apology from Lineker.

“The BBC has undermined its own credibility by appearing to bend under government pressure,” said former director Greg Dyke. According to him, the impartiality required of employees working in the latest political fields does not apply to entertainment presenters.