10 March 2023 , 18:53
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Alex Scott has confirmed she will not be appearing on Match of the Day on Saturday after Gary Lineker was axed as host.
The Arsenal legend confirmed the news by tweeting a GIF of Bernie Sanders saying "Nah! Not me" with the caption "FYI". The corporation confirmed on Friday evening that Lineker would be taken off air from his Match of the Day presenting duties.
That came after Lineker was criticised by Conservative MPs after tweeting his opposition to the Government's new migration policy. A BBC spokesperson said: “The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days.
"We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines. The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.
“When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can’t have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.”
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Responding to his axing, Lineker told Channel 5: "They've told me I have to step back."
Arsenal legend Ian Wright immediately ruled himself out of appearing on Saturday's edition of Match of the Day. He wrote on Twitter : "Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity."
Alex Scott confirmed she will not be replacing Gary Lineker as Match of the Day host (BBC Sport)Alan Shearer has also confirmed he has pulled out of his duties as a pundit, tweeting: "I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night."
Veteran presenter Mark Chapman is understood to have ruled himself out of replacing Lineker, leaving the BBC scrambling for a replacement. Manchester United legend Gary Neville hit out at the decision, writing: "When you take on the Tories and the system! Awful people who we need gone."
Neville also paid tribute to Wright for taking his stance, writing in response to the former striker's tweet: "You’re more than good!" He added: "I had no doubt Ian Wright would do that! Who the hell is going to go on now!"
The Labour Party added their own condemnation of the BBC, with a spokesperson saying: “The BBC’s cowardly decision to take Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure. Tory politicians lobbying to get people sacked for disagreeing with Government policies should be laughed at, not pandered to. The BBC should rethink.”
The Mirror has launched a petition to have Gary Lineker reinstated at the BBC and as the host of Match of the Day. Sign it here.