Comedian Joe Lycett has jokingly offered to step in as presenter of Match of the Day following Gary Lineker's decision to 'step back' from the BBC programme. Lineker's temporary departure comes after he criticised the government's asylum policy on social media, prompting a row over impartiality rules.
In a tweet, Lycett wrote: 'I have informed the BBC that I am very much available for tomorrow's #MOTD.' The offer references his appearance on Laura Kuenssberg's politics show last September, where he claimed to be 'actually very right wing' in a satirical turn.
Lineker's absence has sparked a wave of solidarity among fellow football pundits. Ian Wright and Alan Shearer both pulled out of Saturday's show, while Alex Scott appeared to rule herself out with a GIF of Bernie Sanders saying 'Nah! Not me.'
The BBC confirmed Lineker would not present the programme 'until an agreement is reached on his social media use.' Lineker had compared the language used in the government's migration policy to that of 'Germany in the 30s,' drawing widespread criticism from some quarters.
Other broadcasters have voiced concern over the situation. Former BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker called it 'a mess,' while Channel 4's Krishnan Guru-Murthy questioned why Lineker's tweets were deemed a breach of guidelines when others' political posts were not.
