12 March 2023 , 10:47
758
0
Match of the Day 2 will be broadcast without studio guests or commentary on Sunday night - just like the BBC's flagship broadcast did 24 hours earlier.
Mark Chapman, the show's regular host, will not host Sunday's show after he pulled out of his Radio 5 Live duties on Saturday in solidarity with Gary Lineker, who was effectively suspended by the BBC on Friday after he breached the corporation's guidelines on social media.
Lineker, who has hosted Match of the Day for over 24 years, described the government's new Migration Bill as "beyond awful" on Twitter earlier in the week and also claimed that the language used to describe the bill was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s."
The BBC's decision has sparked a major backlash, with many of their regular sport broadcasters and pundits opting to boycott this weekend's schedule to show their support for Lineker.
That led to Saturday night's Match of the Day being scaled back to a condensed 20-minute show without studio guests or commentary - and Sunday night's Match of the Day 2 will follow suit. An official statement from the BBC confirmed that the programme will follow the same format as Saturday's Match of the Day.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
Former Tottenham and England striker Jermaine Defoe, who was scheduled to be a guest pundit on Sunday's show, had tweeted on Saturday to outline that he would no longer be participating in the program to show solidarity with Lineker.
He posted: "It’s always such a privilege to work with BBC MOTD. But tomorrow I have taken the decision to stand down from my punditry duties."
Match of the Day 2 host Mark Chapman refused to work on BBC Radio 5 Live on Saturday (PA)Saturday's disruptions were always likely to carry over into Sunday's schedule. There were fears that the big WSL clash between Chelsea and Manchester United, which is scheduled to be shown live on BBC Two, was in doubt, however, the game is set to be broadcasted without a presentation team.
That comes hot off the heels of Saturday night's vastly reduced Match of the Day offering, which was slammed by fans on social media. In an interview with BBC News on Saturday night, BBC director general Tim Davie apologised for the disruption that viewers and listeners had experienced before outlining his hopes that Lineker would return to his role in due course.
"I would say Gary Lineker is a superb broadcaster. He's the best in the business, that's not for debate," Davie said. "As a keen sports fan, I know like everyone that to miss programming is a real blow and I am sorry about that.
"To be clear, success for me is: Gary gets back on air and together we are giving to the audiences that world-class sports coverage which, as I say, I'm sorry we haven't been able to deliver today."