22 January 2024 , 14:07
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Gary Lineker explained Match of the Day has a time limit on the length of highlights it is allowed to show, thanks to a contractual obligation in its rights deal.
Regular host Lineker sat out Saturday's broadcast, with Alex Scott deputising on the BBC show. Scott was joined by panelists Alan Shearer and Ashley Williams on a shortened show, with Arsenal's victory over Crystal Palace and Brentford's win at home to Nottingham Forest the only games dissected.
After the show, occasional panelist Micah Richards joked that Shearer had talked too much on the Saturday edition. However, Lineker clarified the limit on match action which meant more time was devoted to analysis.
Sunday night show Match of the Day 2 will also often see just two matches get the full highlights treatment. However, in those cases, the addition of highlights from games earlier in the weekend fills much of the extra space in the schedule.
"Talk about overdoing it!" Richards said to Shearer on Lineker's 'The Rest is Football' podcast. "You're talking about [Martin] Odegaard with the socks! Talk about over-analysing a situation!"
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Shearer defended himself, referencing the balance between the lack of football and the amount of time devoted to Match of the Day itself. This prompted Lineker to interject and give an explanation for any listeners unaware of the rules.
"I'm not sure if people know this but you're only allowed a certain amount of time of each game," he said. "I think it's limited to something like a maximum of 12 minutes.
What did you make of the shorter Match of the Day broadcast? Have your say in the comments section
Alex Scott stood in for Gary Lineker on Saturday's Match of the Day (Getty Images)"So therefore whereas normally we would squeeze in six or eight games and condense our chatting into two or three minutes per game, when you've just got two games in 35 minutes you've got ten minutes or so to chat," Lineker continued. "It's a contractual obligation - I think it's 12 minutes but I'll check that."
Despite the relative lack of football, with the Premier League in the midst of its winter mini-break, there were plenty of goals to discuss. In addition to the 10 on Saturday - five in each game - there were four in each of Sunday's games for Match of the Day 2 as Sheffield United drew with West Ham and Liverpool won at Bournemouth.
Lineker will be back in the BBC studio this weekend, even though there is no Premier League action. The former England striker is on hosting duties for the FA Cup fourth round meeting between Newport County and Manchester United, which the broadcaster will show live on Sunday afternoon.