Gary Lineker has confessed to being taken aback by the solidarity demonstrated by a BBC colleague following his temporary suspension from Match of the Day in March 2023. The former England striker fronted the iconic programme from 1999 until 2025.
The 65-year-old faced criticism at the time after remarks he posted on social media regarding the government's asylum policy. He labelled the proposals as "beyond awful" and suggested the language employed was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".
The BBC then announced that Lineker would step back from presenting Match of the Day until an understanding could be reached concerning his social media activity. Yet this move prompted numerous BBC sports presenters and pundits to rally behind Lineker, including MOTD colleague Ian Wright, who conveyed his support to the presenter via a WhatsApp group.
"I mean, Wrighty was first," Lineker said when reflecting on the episode on The Louis Theroux Podcast. "I was in a restaurant in London having lunch and got the news that they'd taken me off the show, which I saw on social media. They didn't tell me personally first, which I thought was a bit strange. And the day before I was having a chat, we had a little WhatsApp group chat with Alan [Shearer] and Wrighty and I said, 'I've got a feeling they might take me off the show'. Wright immediately came back, 'Well if they do that, I'm not doing it in solidarity. I'm not doing Match of the Day.' It was like a real 'wow' moment. Because I didn't ask them to do that."
The episode prompted the BBC to broadcast Match of the Day without commentary or pundits. The corporation subsequently issued a joint statement from director-general Tim Davie and Lineker confirming that the presenter's suspension had been lifted, and that the BBC would be undertaking a review of its social media guidelines.
"Everyone recognises this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences," Davie said in a BBC statement. "I apologise for this. The potential confusion caused by the grey areas of the BBC's social media guidance that was introduced in 2020 is recognised. I want to get matters resolved and our sport content back on air."
Looking back on the episode, Lineker added: "I was totally at ease with what I'd done. I thought it was humanitarian, someone was having a real dig at me and not in a very nice manner. I responded, I thought I was factually correct."
Lineker eventually departed Match of the Day at the conclusion of the 2024/25 season. He had originally been set to remain involved in FA Cup and World Cup 2026 coverage for the BBC, however those arrangements were scrapped in May 2025 following increased scrutiny of his social media posts.
