Match of the Day to air with no presenters or pundits after Gary Lineker told to step back

Match of the Day volition aerial without a workplace presenter oregon pundits aft Ian Wright and Alan Shearer said they volition not look implicit the BBC telling Gary Lineker to measurement backmost from presenting.

Micah Richards and Jermaine Jenas besides said they would not appear, portion Alex Scott hinted she would bash the same.

It follows an impartiality enactment implicit comments Lineker made criticising the government's caller asylum policy.

The BBC says the amusement connected Saturday nighttime volition alternatively "focus connected lucifer action".

A spokesperson said connected Friday evening: "Some of our pundits person said that they don't privation to look connected the programme portion we question to resoluteness the concern with Gary.

"We recognize their presumption and we person decided that the programme volition absorption connected lucifer enactment without workplace presumption oregon punditry."

In a separate, earlier connection connected Friday, the BBC said it considered Lineker's caller societal media enactment to beryllium a breach of its guidelines. It said it had "decided that helium volition measurement backmost from presenting Match of the Day until we've got an agreed and wide presumption connected his usage of societal media".

Shortly after, ex-Arsenal and Lionesses subordinate Alex Scott hinted that she excessively would not appear, tweeting a GIF of US person Bernie Sanders saying "Nah! Not me" with the caption: "FYI...".

She was followed by erstwhile Manchester City defender Richards, who wrote connected Twitter: "I was not owed to beryllium moving connected MOTD tomorrow, but if I was, I would find myself taking the aforesaid determination that [Ian Wright] & [Alan Shearer] have."

Ex-Tottenham midfielder Jenas past tweeted: "Been connected aerial with the 1 show. I wasn't down to beryllium doing lucifer of the time tomorrow, but if I was I would of said nary and stood with my chap pundits and [Gary Lineker]."

Lineker has not yet publically commented, but portion presenting 5News earlier, erstwhile BBC presenter Dan Walker work retired a substance unrecorded connected aerial from the 62-year-old.

Walker said helium had messaged Lineker asking: "What is happening. Are you stepping back?"

He said helium had received a reply saying: "No, they've [the BBC] told maine I person to measurement back."

The BBC has been told that the Match of the Day accumulation squad were not told successful beforehand astir the decision.

On Tuesday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman outlined the government's plans to prohibition radical arriving successful the UK illegally from ever claiming asylum, successful a bid to code a emergence successful the fig of radical crossing the Channel successful tiny boats.

Lineker reacted to it connected Twitter calling it an "immeasurably cruel argumentation directed astatine the astir susceptible radical successful connection that is not dissimilar to that utilized by Germany successful the 30s".

Lineker has hosted Match of the Day since 1999 and is the BBC's highest paid star, having earned astir £1.35m successful 2020-21. He is employed by the BBC connected a freelance basis.