Former Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker was suspended for a week from the show over social media posts in 2023, but two of his closest friends have stood by him in solidarity.
Gary Lineker became emotional during an interview as he talked about the support he received from Ian Wright and Alan Shearer. (Image: LBC)
Gary Lineker appeared overcome with emotion as he recalled “sobbing” thanks to the support of Ian Wright and Alan Shearer after he was suspended from the BBC. The former England captain sparked controversy in 2023 when he was removed from the Match of the Day for his social media posts.
His comments came after he tweeted that the government’s plans to ban migrants arriving in small boats from staying in the UK were compared to “Germany in the 1930s”. Following the suspension, pundits Wright, Shearer and other commentators expressed support.
Due to his rebellious attitude, the program ended without any criticism or analysis. The suspension was lifted in time for the next programme, and BBC Director General Tim Davie apologized for the decision.
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Recalling the situation, Lineker told LBC: “I had a group chat with Alan Shearer and Ian Wright. In that group chat I said, ‘I have a feeling they’re going to keep me on Saturday night.'”
“And Lighty said, ‘If they’re going to do that, I’m not doing the show.’ And it just so happened that Alan and Lighty were going to do the show on Saturday night.”
“That being said, it’s another thing to take tools down for someone else’s purposes, but that doesn’t happen.
“I got the call on Friday afternoon that they were firing me.
‘Match of the Day’ with Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright (Image: BBC/Pete Dadds)
“Within 30 minutes, Ian Wright tweeted that he wasn’t going to be on the show. And I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s amazing!'”
He got emotional and added:
“And 20 minutes later Shearer did the same thing. And I was sitting in the back of the taxi with my mates at this stage, sobbing. Really sobbing. That support…”
Lineker ended his 26-year run as Match of the Day host at the end of last season, with his final show returning in May.
It was also confirmed that the presenter would not be taking part in the station’s coverage of the World Cup this summer.
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