24 September 2023 , 12:43
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Gary Lineker has lifted the lid on his current relationship with BBC bosses following the explosive saga that saw him stood down from Match of the Day this year.
Prior to March this year, the 62-year-old had long been cemented as one of the Beeb's highest earners and one of the most popular presenters, fronting their weekly Premier League highlights programme and coverage of major international tournaments. But his position in the company was suddenly put in jeopardy after he used X, then known as Twitter, to criticise the British government's asylum policy.
The post was condemned by home secretary Suella Braverman, and the BBC then announced the former England striker would be stood down from Match of the Day as they considered "his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines." A host of Lineker's colleagues then withdrew from their respective roles in BBC programmes in a show of solidarity.
In farcical scenes, Match of the Day duly aired with no commentary or punditry, and the BBC soon retracted their stance as Lineker was reinstated. And bosses promptly announced a review of its social media procedures and measures.
Lineker has now reflected the controversy, likening the fallout to a brief fallout between partners: "We’re great," he told . "I mean, we’ve been in a relationship for a long time. It was like a lovers’ tiff, and we’re ok again.”
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Pressed as to whether there was any lingering tension and and awkwardness between him and senior figures, Lineker was again dismissive, claiming: “We’ve even moved passed that stage.”
However, he remains defiant over the notion of whether he did anything wrong, and his refusal to apologise for the post: “I knew it wasn’t anywhere near strong enough (the tweet). It wasn’t some kind of strange sexual scandal or racist abuse. If I genuinely thought I’d made a mistake I would have apologised and moved on, but I just didn’t.”
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The stance taken by Lineker's colleagues left the BBC in an impossible situation, not to mention the public wave of support that came his way. And he remains heartened by the actions of Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, who withdrew from Match of the Day before a host of BBC workers elsewhere followed suit.
“I remember being in the back of the car when Ian Wright and Alan Shearer pulled out of the show, and I had a few tears," he admitted. "We have a group chat and the day before I’d said, ‘I’ve got a feeling they might take me off the show.’
"And Wrighty went, ‘Oh, if they do that, I’m out.’ It’s one thing saying that but then following through? A lot of love for him. That’s what meant the most. That was beautiful.”