As Lineker's departure causes havoc in BBC sport, Sunak looks for a solution. - Emmynet24 News Media

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Sunday, March 12, 2023

As Lineker's departure causes havoc in BBC sport, Sunak looks for a solution.

Emmynet24
On March 11, 2023, an image of London's British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) headquarters was taken. After experts and commentators declined to support broadcaster Gary Lineker, who was forced to "step aside" after accusing the government of employing Nazi-era terminology, the BBC's sport service went into meltdown on Saturday. Fourth-most prolific goal scorer for England and Match of the Day host Lineker stirred a controversy over his impartiality by criticizing the British government's new immigration enforcement strategy.


 After the BBC's sport coverage was obliterated on Saturday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed his hope that the conflict between Gary Lineker and the station can be "resolved in a timely manner". After accusing Sunak's government of using Nazi-era rhetoric to combat illegal immigration, Lineker was compelled to "step back" from his duties presenting Match of the Day, the BBC's main Premier League highlights show.

The BBC stated on Friday that England's fourth-highest goalscorer in history had broken impartiality rules, and the broadcaster would look for "an agreed and clear position on his usage of social media" before appearing again on television.


The decision, however, wreaked havoc for the BBC's planned sports coverage on both television and radio.

Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, and other commentators for Match of the Day quickly tweeted that they would not be participating in their regular responsibilities.

Wright then claimed on his podcast on Saturday he would quit the BBC if Lineker was removed for good.


Due to presenters and pundits pulling out, the weekend preview show Football Focus and results program Final Score were also canceled.


"Gary Lineker is a talented presenter in addition to being a fantastic footballer. Sunak said in a statement, "I hope the current conflict between Gary Lineker and the BBC may be addressed quickly, but it is rightly an issue for them, not the Government.

The BBC Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Saturday sports schedules were also changed.


"I'm sorry. As a die-hard sports fan, I understand how devastating it is to miss programming. Tim Davie, director general of the BBC, stated, "We are working very hard to address this issue and ensure that we get content on air.


"Everyone wants to handle this problem gently. There is no disputing Gary Lineker's position as the finest in the industry.


The longest-running football television show in the world, Match of the Day, which airs every Saturday night, will debut without pundits or a presenter.

Highlights without commentary will be included in the 20 minute show.


Since Lineker is a freelance broadcaster for the BBC and not a regular employee, he is exempt from the same stringent impartiality requirements because he is not in charge of providing news or political commentary.


The former Leicester striker did not speak to media while watching his hometown team lose 3-1 to Chelsea at the King Power Stadium.

Other Leicester supporters displayed posters that read, "I'm with Gary, migrants welcome," to demonstrate their support for Lineker.


-Unfathomably cruel

Lineker's answer to a video in which Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced strategies to block migrants from traveling across the Channel on small boats set off the argument.


"This is just an enormously terrible strategy directed at the most vulnerable individuals in language that is not unlike to that used by Germany in the '30s," commented Lineker, the highest-paid performer for the BBC, on Twitter.


In an effort to stem the crossings, which totaled more than 45,000 last year, the Conservative administration plans to criminalize all asylum requests made by illegal immigrants and transfer them to other nations, such as Rwanda.

According to a YouGov poll released on Monday, 50% of respondents supported the measures while 36% opposed them.


Yet, according to the UN and European and UN rules on asylum, the measure would turn Britain into a worldwide pariah.

A letter from 36 Tory legislators warning that the scandal will "no doubt damage many people's already weak confidence" in the BBC's objectivity was delivered to the broadcaster.


- Criticism of BBC


Politicians and public figures were outraged by the BBC's decision, accusing it of caving in to pressure from Conservative parliamentarians.


Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, claimed that the BBC "got this one badly wrong and now they're very, very exposed," and over 180,000 people have signed a petition asking for the reinstatement of Lineker.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) called the BBC's decision to take action against Lineker "a tremendous own goal."


According to Michelle Stanistreet, general secretary of the NUJ, "Yielding to continuous political pressure in this manner is as dumb as it is dangerous."


Years of discussion about the BBC's objectivity have come to a head over this matter. That discussion heated up when the United Kingdom chose to exit the European Union in 2016.

Greg Dyke, a former director general of the BBC, claimed the network erred.


The BBC has damaged its own credibility by doing this, he said the broadcaster, adding that it would give the appearance that the organization has capitulated to political pressure.


After reports that BBC chairman Richard Sharp helped arrange a credit guarantee for former prime minister Boris Johnson when he was interviewing for the position, the Lineker controversy comes at a particularly contentious time.

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