Gary Lineker takes underhand swipe at BBC over tweet row that sparked MOTD walkout
Gary Lineker has risked the ire of his employers after taking a swipe at the BBC over the Twitter controversy that resulted in his suspension last year.
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Gary Lineker has taken a swipe at the BBC (Image: Getty)
Gary Lineker has hit out at the BBC over the X (formerly Twitter) controversy that sparked a Match of the Day walkout. The former England striker, 63, caused a major stir back in March 2023 after likening the British government's asylum policy to Nazi Germany on social media.
BBC employees are contractually obliged to maintain political neutrality in public forums, and while the rule is rarely enforced, Lineker's post evidently tipped the boat. He was subsequently suspended by the corporation, though the decision sparked a wave of internal protests with the likes of Ian Wright, Alan Shearer, Mark Chapman and Jermaine Jenas, among others, pulling out of their respective roles in upcoming broadcasts.
Speaking to The Athletic's David Ornstein, who used to work for the BBC, about the impact social media has had on sports journalism on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker coudn't help but take a cheeky swipe at his employers when the subject of posting on the platform came up.
Recalling the period when the BBC first asked its journalists to start posting on Twitter, Ornstein told Lineker: "People who worked with me at the BBC at the time will remember that I was the most cynical about this. I just thought, 'what's the point? Why don't you just post on the website? Why do you have to post on this platform?'"
Chiming in, Lineker quipped: "I think their thinking has changed a little bit about their people tweeting now [laughs]." In response, Ornstein said: "Indeed, you know all about that."
Lineker was suspended by the BBC following his post comparing the British government to Nazi Germany (Image: Getty)
Lineker's suspension was ended after the BBC concluded an investigation into the matter. Subsequently, the corporation announced it would be reviewing its social media guidelines, and that Lineker had agreed to abide by the guidelines in place until the review had been completed.
The 63-year-old former footballer, who has been presenting Match of the Day since 1999, has made no secret of his political leanings over the years. He has been an avid user of X for over a decade, but recently admitted he's taken a step back from the platform due to the changes Elon Musk has made since taking over in 2022.
"I don’t really post my thoughts now because I think it has become not a very pleasurable experience," he told The Independent. "There was a time you could have little chats with people on there and a bit of banter.
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"Now it is impossible because before I could have chats with people I either followed or were blue-tick people but now everyone’s got a blue tick so that doesn’t work anymore," he added, before branding Musk "a very odd bloke".
Lineker's contract with the BBC expires at the end of the 2024/25 season, and it's unclear whether there are plans to extend his deal. As such, speculation as to who might replace him on Match of the Day has been running rife.
Jenas was initially the favourite, but is out of the running after being sacked by the BBC following accusations of inappropriate messages sent to colleagues.
