As Britain’s Parliament prepares to begin debating the Tory government’s immigration bill on Monday, a law about which the UN and international organizations have expressed strong concerns, Britain is spending a weekend debating the BBC’s decision. to “freeze” his partnership with former footballer and decades-long presenter Gary Lineker, for comments he made against the bill, with the case taking on political dimensions and a potential crisis for the British public broadcaster.

Lineker, former captain of the England national team and for the last 20 years presenter of “the most famous football show in the world”, Match Of The Day, as described by the BBC itself, was taken “off the air” after criticism he made on immigration policy promoted by the Conservative Tory government.

The British government last week introduced its anti-irregular immigration bill, which mainly seeks to ban those arriving via the Channel from seeking asylum in Britain, which falls on the edge of international law, with the UN and many international organizations express their concerns about the proposed law. Yesterday, Friday, Britain and France struck a new deal to crack down on irregular immigration from French shores, with an increase in funding over the next three years from the British side, British Prime Minister Richie Sounak and French President Emmanuel Macron announced after summit meeting they had in Paris.

The 62-year-old former footballer, on microphones and screens since 1999, and the BBC’s highest-paid presenter, was punished by the British broadcaster for postings on Twitter and retweeting tweets critical of the bill. In one of the posts, there was talk of a barbaric policy towards vulnerable people, and rhetoric reminiscent of the rhetoric used by politicians and the media in Germany in the 1930s.

In another instance Lineker, who has hosted refugees in his home in the past, reposted a video of British Home Secretary Suella Braverman talking about the new county, with Lineker commenting: “Oh my God! This is just awful.”

For the BBC this was a breach of its guidelines.

“It is a breach of our internal regulations,” the British body said, asking Lineker to “step down” this weekend. “We’ve never said that Gary should be a no-opinion zone or that he can’t have an opinion on issues he cares about, but we did say that he should stay far away from taking sides on party politics or political controversies,” he added. the BBC.

However, afterwards many famous former footballers, commentators and football presenters decided not to appear on the state broadcaster in solidarity with Lineker.

Famous ex-footballers Alan Shearer and Ian Wright have said they will not appear on Match Of The Day, the British institution show, “the oldest televised football show in the world”, according to the Guinness Book of World Records

The row with Lineker caused major problems for the BBC’s sports program today as many presenters did not join in a show of solidarity with Lineker, leading the British channel to issue a public apology. “We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon,” he said in a statement.

Saturday’s Match of the Day show was scheduled to air at its usual time despite Lineker’s absence, but it will likely be a silent highlights show given the commentators have refused to take part.

Sunak issued a statement today defending immigration policy, saying he hoped Lineker and the BBC could resolve their differences in a reasonable time.

“It’s their issue, not the government’s,” the British prime minister said, adding that it was important to continue to get the right picture, given the seriousness of the immigration issue that has led 45,000 people to risk their lives crossing during last year illegally the English Channel.

Neutrality under close scrutiny

The case forced the BBC to defend its impartiality.

The British broadcaster has pledged to be politically impartial but has faced criticism from Tories and Labor over how neutral it actually is, particularly in the age of social media, used by featured presenters to air their personal seats.

BBC director-general Tim Davey has unveiled a 10-point impartiality plan in 2021 after controversy, but none of it is in the form of an avalanche like the one developing since yesterday. Today he even stated that he will not resign over the Lineker case.

The opposition Labor Party and media commentators have accused the BBC of silencing Lineker by bowing to pressure from the Conservative government, after Sunak’s spokeswoman called Lineker’s comments “unacceptable” and Home Secretary Suella Braverman said they were “offensive”.

“The BBC is not acting impartially by pandering to Tory MPs protesting about Gary Lineker,” Labor leader Keir Starmer told reporters at a conference in Wales today.

Lineker declined to comment to the media as he left his home in London today and did not take questions from reporters upon arrival at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, where he had gone to watch a game against one of the clubs he had played for.

Seeking to resolve the row, the BBC said there must be an agreed position on Lineker’s use of social media before he can return as a presenter.

The BBC said it had held discussions with Lineker and his team in recent days and decided to pull out of presenting its flagship Match of the Day program “until we have an agreed and clear position on the use of social media”.

But critics of Lineker’s suspension say he is entitled to his personal opinions because he is not a news anchor.

Greg Dyke, who was director-general of the BBC from 2000 to 2004, told BBC Radio earlier today that the British broadcaster had made a mistake by taking Lineker “off the air” because it gave the impression that the government could tell TV station what to do.

“The perception out there will be that Gary Lineker, a much-loved TV presenter, was taken out after pressure from the government on a particular issue,” Dyke said.

That could drive viewers away from the 100-year-old BBC, which is funded by an annual £159 “license fee” tax on all TV-watching households.

While the broadcaster continues to be central to British cultural life, it is struggling to keep in touch with younger audiences and faces threats to its funding as some Tory MPs want to scrap the license fee.

Questions about BBC chairman Richard Sharpe pose a further challenge for the broadcaster.

Sharpe is under pressure for failing to disclose his involvement in facilitating a loan for former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson shortly before he was appointed to the role. Sharp’s appointment, which came on the government’s recommendation, is now under review by Britain’s public appointments watchdog.