Gary Lineker will return to host Match of the Day, the program from which he was suspended by the BBC after he compared the Conservative government’s squeeze on migrants to Nazi Germany in a tweet. This was announced by the general manager of the broadcaster, Tim Davie, who announced an independent investigation to review the guidelines on the use of social networks by external collaborators who do not deal with politics. The former striker and captain of the England national team thanked Davie “for his understanding”, welcomed the investigation and said he can’t wait to get back on the air in the program he has been hosting since 1999. “As difficult as have been the last few days, it’s nothing compared to having to flee your home to escape persecution or war and seek refuge in a distant land,” tweeted the 62-year-old prince host of the BBC, “it heartened me to see the empathy towards their sufferings from so many of you. We remain a country of mostly tolerant, welcoming and generous people”.
If the great BBC loses its prestige with the Lineker case
Caterina Soffici
The number one of the BBC acknowledged that “it was a difficult period for the staff, the collaborators, the presenters and, above all, for our audience” and apologized for this. The investigation, he explained, will serve to eliminate the current “grey areas” in the rules on the use of social networks but in the meantime Lineker has agreed to abide by the current guidelines. The return ‘on the pitch’ of the former Barcelona and Tottenham striker is scheduled for next Saturday at the Etihad stadium, on the occasion of the FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester City and Burnley. Initially Lineker was asked to apologize for the tweet that violated the impartiality obligations set by the broadcaster if he wanted to return to his program for which he has a contract worth one and a half million euros a year but he refused and so everyone the other sports anchors refused to air on the BBC, revolutionizing weekend football programming. The case has sparked a heated controversy around the BBC: if the public broadcaster has invoked its commitment to guarantee an impartial service and has denied having bowed to pressure from the Tory executive, it is reproached for not respecting freedom of opinion.