TV presenter Gary Lineker temporarily suspended from work at the BBC.
The former England international has previously criticized Britain’s illegal migrants bill, which means that such migrants cannot be granted asylum. In addition, the document provides for the expulsion of illegal migrants from the UK, while in the future they will not be able to return to the country or apply for citizenship. Lineker compared this government stance to 1930s Germany.
Lineker hosts the popular BBC football show Match of the Day. The broadcaster said Gary would stop broadcasting the program until an agreement could be reached about his use of social media. The BBC said in a statement:
The BBC held a dialogue with Gary and his colleagues. We have stated that we consider his recent activity on social media to be a violation of our policies.
The BBC has decided it will not host Match of the Day until we have a clear position on its use of social media.
Gary is great at covering soccer and sports in general. We have never said that Gary is not entitled to his opinion, or that he cannot express a point of view on matters important to him, but we have said that he should refrain from analyzing political issues and disputes.
