Match of the Day will have NO interviews with Premier League players or managers after pulling Gary Lineker off air
MATCH OF THE DAY will NOT interview Premier League players or managers today.
The BBC show is in turmoil after host Gary Lineker, 62, was suspended from the flagship show following his tweets criticising the Government’s new Illegal Migration Bill.
Pundits including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer refused to take part in tonight’s programme in solidarity with presenter Lineker, who was given the boot after refusing to apologise for his tweets comparing the Tories’ strategy to that of Nazi Germany.
That was followed by Steve Wilson confirming the boycott by the commentators while Mark Chapman and Alex Scott refused to step in as host, with the latter also pulling out of Football Focus which was cancelled.
Even a number of Premier League players are said to be keen to stand with Lineker, too, and would refuse to speak to Match of the Day.
And now the BBC report the Premier League have told the 12 clubs in action today that there will be NO requests for interviews by the programme.
The League Managers’ Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association have also been informed.
It means the likes of Pep Guardiola, Graham Potter, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte will be spared from speaking to the Beeb, although their other media commitments will remain in place.
The mass boycott has left the Beeb reeling, with the broadcaster confirming the highlights programme tonight would show match action but with no studio punditry.
And the lack of interviews from players and managers after the games will add a further strange twist to the show – with the clips usually shown straight after the highlights before Lineker and the two pundits dissect the matches.
As revealed by SunSport, the ex-England captain wept when he heard about his colleagues’ support to boycott Match of the Day.
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A source said: “This has been a tumultuous 24 hours. Gary is in shock and had no idea this was coming. He wanted to go on air, make no bones about it, this was not his decision.
“Privately, everyone at the Beeb is in meltdown too. They genuinely don’t know how they will get a show out because no one wants to touch it.
“Everyone in the industry is appalled at how Gary has been hung out to dry, and the general BBC inconsistency.
“Gary wept when he found out his mates had all publicly backed him.
“The support has been overwhelming which, essentially, is a massive pie in the face for the BBC.
“Gary wasn’t willing to pretend to support something he vehemently doesn’t agree with.
“He doesn’t need the cash and, frankly, it seems hard to imagine a way back for either party from here.”