Gary Lineker news: Match of the Day star says ‘great to be here’ as he returns to BBC

The BBC was sent into meltdown this weekend after presenters and pundits staged a mutiny in solidarity with Gary Lineker, who has been forced off air over a tweet about the government’s asylum crackdown.

Lineker, who has hosted Match of the Day for almost a quarter of a century, has been embroiled in a row over impartiality after comparing the language used to launch a new asylum policy with 1930s Germany.

Emily Atkinson reports:

Gary Lineker said as he returns to TV screens to present live coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester City and Burnley that his support from colleagues has been “hugely gratifying” and “quite beautiful”.

Saturday will mark the 62-year-old broadcaster’s first appearance on the BBC since he was told to step back from hosting Match Of The Day (MOTD) in a row over impartiality.

Ellie Lorizzo reports:

Supporters of Gary Lineker have been sending their best wishes to the football presenter as he makes his return to the BBC today.

The Match of the Day host returns to work to cover the FA Cup after being suspended for criticising the government’s migration plans.

“Back to the Saturday job,” Mr Lineker wrote on Twitter ahead of his appearance, alongside a strong arm emoji.

“Return of the Mack! Have a good one, Gary! one supporter replied. “Enjoy your day,” another added.

Mark Chapman, usually the presenter of 5 live Sport, will be presenting Match of the Day this Saturday night.

Many viewers had expected to see Gary Lineker return to his usual position leading the football match highlights programme this Saturday.

The BBC has worked to mend bridges with the presenter, after the row over his criticism of the government’s new policy on asylum seekers. On Monday the BBC hastily reversed its decision to suspend Lineker, after a storm of criticism.

Joseph Rachman reports:

A former head of BBC television news has said the next BBC chairman should not be a “political appointment”.

Roger Mosey, who was also director of sport at the broadcaster, said it would be a “great act of statesmanship” for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to de-politicise the appointment.

Mike Bedigan reports:

BBC sports presenter Gary Lineker has been embroiled in a row over impartiality after criticising the Government’s Illegal Immigration Bill in a post on Twitter.

The row has made headlines and front pages.

Here is a timeline of how events unfolded:

Match of the Day viewers hoping to see Gary Lineker back at the helm of the Saturday night highlights programme will be kept waiting a little longer, following the BBC row over his criticism of government policy on asylum-seekers.

BBC sports programming fell into crisis last weekend after the presenter of 24 years was asked to step back from Match of the Day, prompting his fellow presenters, pundits and commentators to withdraw their own labour in solidarity.

But despite Lineker’s reinstatement on Monday, the star presenter will not be hosting the highlights show on Saturday night.

Andy Gregory reports:

Football presenter Gary Lineker has condemned the row over his suspension by the BBC because of his tweets as “totally disproportionate”.

But he said he received a large amount of support during his dispute with the BBC, which had been gratifying and “quite beautiful”.

It comes as the TV star’s agent said he believed he had a “special arrangement” with the broadcaster that allowed him to make comments about refugees and the small boats crisis.

Jane Dalton reports:

BBC director-general Tim Davie announced a review of social media guidelines as he recognised “the potential confusion caused by the grey areas” of the guidance.

Details of the review:

The corporation apologised for a “difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters, and most importantly, our audiences”: