By Anaya Garr
Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker, an English former professional footballer, who is now a BBC football commentator, has tweeted what can be viewed as controversial comments on his Twitter account. As part of the BBC, he is legally obliged to be impartial to any political topics as it is a national platform for all viewers. He has recently been accused of controversy as he replied to the official Home Office twitter account. Lineker retweeted a post saying ‘Enough is enough. We must stop the boats’ which was said by UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman and he replied saying ‘Good heavens, this is beyond awful’. Lineker then commented on the language Braverman used, by saying that ‘the language is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s’.
Why are people upset?
Many were upset by his tweet as they felt that Gary Lineker is the face of the BBC and he should not be showing his views on any matter, no matter the platform it is done on. In fact, people were so outraged by it, Lineker was suspended from presenting the BBC Match of the Day show on Saturday night. But in protest, both Ian Wright and Alan Shearer (former footballers) who were supposed to be other commentators of Match of the Day, called in and refused to be on the programme. ‘Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me’, tweeted Ian Wright, ‘but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity’.
Braverman was particularly offended by Lineker’s response, as her husband is Jewish and she considered the comparison to Nazi-Germany as inconsiderate. Many others with Jewish roots may also have felt the same way toward his comment.
Some argue that Gary Lineker was not putting his opinion on the BBC and was not using that platform to express his views or attempt to influence anyone, but he tweeted on his personal Twitter account, which has nothing to do with the BBC. Many people also believe that his job is to comment on football and his knowledge on that, so his political views are irrelevant, and therefore should not interfere with his job.
Likewise, Lineker does not actually work for the BBC as he is a freelancer (an independent contractor) and therefore it can be said that he should not be held to the same rules as those who actually work for the BBC.
The Latest Update on the Situation
Gary Lineker is once again a presenter of sports on the BBC, as of 13th March, and hopes to move away from the situation. Lineker received an apology from the BBC, and said ‘I am glad that we have found a way forward. I support this review, and look forward to getting back on air’. It was also stated by Lineker that ‘however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away. It’s heartwarming to have seen the empathy towards their plight. We remain a country of predominantly tolerant, welcoming and generous people. Thank you.’