The BBC backtracks as former football star Gary Lineker returns to presenter duties

Former English football star Gary Lineker he will continue to host BBC’s flagship weekend football show Match of the Day, after the British public broadcaster reached a deal with the presenter, ending a “difficult weekend”.

“Gary is a valuable part of the BBC and I know how much the BBC means to Gary, and I can’t wait for him to feature our coverage next weekend,” said director general Tim Davie, in a statement.

The move comes after protests when the former player turned pundit was forced to step down from presenting the BBC’s flagship football show. Two other former football stars who were due to co-present with Linkeker, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, also resigned in sympathy.

The dispute spilled over into the weekend with a number of high profile BBC sports presenters refusing to work on broadcasts, severely disrupting the BBC’s busy weekend schedule.

Lineker’s tweet criticized the government’s new asylum-seekers bill, comparing the language used to launch the policy to that used in 1930s Germany.

The BBC now says it will also launch an independent review of its current social media guidance. Lineker welcomes such an overhaul specifically targeting freelancers outside of news and current affairs, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the presenter says he will abide by the BBC’s social media guidelines, introduced in 2020, while the review is ongoing.

The former England international said he was happy to have found a way out and is expected to return to present FA Cup matches this weekend.

“I have presented sport at the BBC for nearly 3 decades and am immensely proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world. I can’t wait to get back in the MOTD chair on Saturday,” said Lineker.

The football pundit continued to support the asylum seekers, saying the past two difficult days “doesn’t compare to having to flee home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a distant land”.

Adriana Lima

Adriana Lima (Brazilian Portuguese: [adɾiˈãnɐ ˈlimɐ]; born June 12, 1981) is a Brazilian model and actress, best known as a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1999 to 2018. She was the longest-running model and named "the most valuable Victoria's Secret Angel" in 2017. She is also known as a spokesmodel for Maybelline cosmetics since 2003, and for her Super Bowl and Kia Motors commercials. At age 15, Lima won Ford's "Supermodel of Brazil" competition, and took second place the following year in the Ford "Supermodel of the World" competition before signing with Elite Model Management in New York City.