After the former footballer criticized a government plan on immigration, the public audiovisual group is under pressure from the conservative camp but also from the opposition.
Has Gary Lineker gone too far? The former glory of English football was suspended from his duties as a BBC presenter on Friday March 10 for criticizing a British Conservative government plan on immigration. Since then, the British audiovisual giant has been under pressure, the affair reviving the debate on the impartiality of the BBC and criticisms of its management. Franceinfo rewinds the controversy.
1 Gary Lineker denounces “a cruel policy”
On Twitter, where he has 8.8 million subscribers, Gary Lineker on Tuesday attacked the government’s bill to prevent migrants arriving by the Channel from seeking asylum in the United Kingdom. He denounced “a cruel policy aimed at the most vulnerable, in a language not unlike that used by Germany in the 1930s”. The text was also criticized by the UN, which accused London of wanting “put an end to the right of asylum”.
Gary Lineker is used to expressing his progressive political positions, in particular for the reception of refugees. During his career, he was nicknamed “Mister Nice” (“Mister Nice”) for his irreproachable behavior, having never received a single yellow card.
2 BBC suspends star presenter
Gary Lineker, 62, was laid off on Friday for “committed an infraction of the instructions”. “The BBC have decided that he will stand down from presenting ‘Match of The Day’ until we have a clear agreement with him on his use of social media”, the company said. After the outcry caused by his tweet, Gary Lineker had repeated that he assumed his words. He also assured, still on Twitter, that he had “very eager” to present his cult show on Saturday, which he has presented since 1999.
3 BBC boss refuses to resign
A petition in support of Gary Lineker exceeded 190,000 signatures on Saturday morning and the hashtag #BoycottBBC was trending on Twitter. On the political side, the audiovisual group’s decision has been denounced by many personalities, from the Labor opposition to Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who described“indefensible” the position of the BBC. She puts according to her “endangering freedom of expression in the face of political pressure”.
According The Daily Expressa group of 36 British Conservative MPs reportedly wrote a letter to the BBC Director General, Tim Davie, to ask for an apology “without reservation” of the presenter. Asked about his possible resignation, the boss replied on Saturday: “Absolutely not”asserting “looking forward to us resolving this situation”. “To be clear, success for me would be for Gary to return to the air and together we bring global sports coverage to the public.”he added.
4 Shows are canceled during the weekend
On Saturday, several football shows were canceled at the last minute, forcing the BBC to apologize to viewers. Ratings exploded for “Match of The Day”, which aired in a scaled-down format, without a presenter or consultants. More than 2.5 million viewers watched, almost 500,000 more than the previous week, according to the BBC.
BBC sports programming was turned upside down again on Sunday after many consultants and commentators defectedsuch as former England internationals Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, “solidarity” by Gary Lineker. “Blackout at BBC Sport”headlined, Sunday, the Sunday Express. Gary Lineker “loves ‘Match of The Day’ but he will never go back on his words”said the son of the footballer, George Lineker, in the Sunday Mirror.
5 The government calls for “impartiality”
On Sunday morning, UK Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt said he wanted “the BBC retains its reputation for independence and impartiality”. “When you interview me, people should know that you are doing it on behalf of the public, not for political reasons”, he said. The BBC is regularly attacked by conservatives who accuse it of having covered Brexit in a biased way and of being interested in urban elites more than the working classes. The government froze the license fee for two years last year.
On the opposition side, criticism is also directed against the appointment, in 2021, on the advice of the government, of Richard Sharp as president of the BBC. This former banker, known financial supporter of the Conservative party, would have played the matchmaker shortly before taking office to help his friend and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson obtain a loan of 800,000 pounds (900,000 euros).