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After a brief period of suspension, Gary Lineker will make his return to the Match of the Day program this weekend
Football pundit and presenter, Gary Lineker is set to return to his role on the BBC’s Match of the Day program after resolving issues with the corporation over a tweet on the United Kingdom’s immigration laws.
BBC reinstates Gary Lineker after row over tweet
Lineker came under heavy criticism for expressing his views about the UK’s immigration laws which he stated had “language that resembles 1930s Germany” in a tweet.
He was then suspended from his role as a presenter on the BBC’s Match of the Day, amid a debate about the corporation's impartiality rules guiding its operations and staff, but this soon appeared to be a mistake on their path.
Following Lineker’s suspension, the BBC faced immense backlash and was boycotted by its own presenters, commentators, and some of the players in the Premier League, forcing them to air an abridged version of Match of the Day that only lasted 20 minutes.
In response to the feedback that they got after Lineker’s suspension, the BBC has decided to reinstate him and has even apologised for the unclear terms of their impartiality laws that caused the rancour in the first place.
Lineker happy to be back
Lineker has also taken to Twitter to express his happiness at the eventual outcome of the controversy and was grateful to his co-presenters who stood by him and ensured that he was reinstated.
His statement read, “After a surreal few days, I’m delighted that we have navigated our way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity.
“Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming.
“I have been presenting sport on the BBC for almost three decades and am immeasurably proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world. I cannot wait to get back in the MOTD chair on Saturday.”
Lineker is expected to resume his duties over the next weekend as things start to get back to normal for him and the rest of the BBC’s Match of the Day crew and audience.
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