Gary Lineker has revealed he shed a tear when fellow presenters Ian Wright and Alan Shearer pulled out of Match of the Day in solidarity during his BBC impartiality row. The presenter was taken off air after a tweet criticising government asylum policy, sparking a high-profile controversy.
Speaking on The Rest is Politics podcast, Lineker said: "I must admit, I had a tear in my eye. It just moved me, it was beautiful." He praised Shearer, Wright, and others like Jermaine Jenas and Alex Scott for refusing to appear on air in protest. "When it first happened... it's one thing saying that in a moment, but then actually to carry that through, they didn't need to do that," he added.
The row began on 7 March when Lineker tweeted that the government's asylum policy was "immeasurably cruel" and compared language used to "that used by Germany in the 30s". Home Secretary Suella Braverman expressed disappointment, and the BBC initially held a "frank conversation" before taking Lineker off air on 10 March. The resulting media storm saw Match of the Day reduced to a 20-minute edition without its host, pundits, or commentary, though viewing figures rose by nearly 500,000.
Lineker described the incident as a "full-blown crisis" for the BBC, adding: "I'm still bewildered." He clarified his tweet was never meant as a Holocaust comparison and called the response "silly". He also claimed he had an agreement with BBC director general Tim Davie to speak out on refugee issues and climate change. Davie later insisted he took "proportionate action" and announced an independent review of social media guidelines, which Lineker supports.
The controversy also reignited calls for BBC chairman Richard Sharp to resign over his relationship with Boris Johnson, though Sharp denies wrongdoing. Lineker, who has been at the BBC for nearly 30 years, said: "I love the BBC... but people make mistakes, they recognise that and they addressed it."
