Former footballer and sports presenter Gary Lineker will return to the BBC after public television’s decision to change the rules for using social media. Lineker had been temporarily suspended for criticizing the British government’s new Immigration Law on Twitter as “an immensely cruel measure aimed at the most vulnerable and in language not dissimilar to that used in Germany in the 1930s.”
The “red card” to Lineker had caused a great uproar in the British media due to possible government interference in the decision. Interior Secretary Suella Braverman, married to a Jew, had personally responded to the popular presenter for the comparison to Nazi Germany: “Using these frivolous analogies is a way of belittling the horrible tragedy that affected millions of people.”
The political uproar threatened to lead to resignations in the highest echelons of the BBC. Given the demonstrations of popular support received by Lineker, public television made a 180-degree turn and called a meeting on Monday to reinstate the presenter of “Match of the Day”, which was broadcast over the weekend without presenters, after the temporary resignation from the entire BBC sports team in solidarity with the former footballer.
Public television has announced a review of its guidelines for the use of social networks, which since 2018 required “impartiality” from its presenters. Lineker, who also caused a stir in his day due to his opposition to Brexit, announced that he has no intention of keeping quiet or censoring his comments “in favor of those who have no voice.”
“I’m glad we found a way to move this issue forward,” he said after the announcement. “I support the revision of the guidelines and can’t wait to get back on the air.”
Lineker will therefore return to present the popular “Match of the Day” next Saturday, as he has been doing for two decades, despite the campaign against it agitated above all by The Daily Mail, the conservative tabloid that constantly criticizes him as “the presenter most expensive and foul-mouthed” on public television (with a “cache” estimated at 1.4 million euros per year for his appearances).
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