Gary Lineker has opened up about his agreement with the BBC following his return to Match of the Day.
Last month, the BBC released a statement which said the former England player would be taking a break from presenting the weekly programme after Lineker criticised the UK government over its handling of the migrant crisis.
Responding to the language used in a Home Office video post about the Illegal Migration Bill, Lineker tweeted: "There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the ’30s, and I'm out of order?"
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Lineker has since returned to Match of the Day, however he's revealed there are two topics he's agreed with the BBC he'll be allowed to speak about on Twitter.
When Lineker first posted the tweet comparing the government's language to that used in Nazi Germany, it 'never even crossed [his] mind that it would lead to where it went'.
Lineker told Men's Health: "I’ve worked with refugees’ charities for years. So, when I saw the Suella Braverman film, I said I thought it was pretty awful.
"Then the 'stick to football' people weighed in and I replied to one of them, just saying there was no massive influx, the UK takes far fewer refugees than other European countries, this is a cruel policy, and the language used in the debate reminds us of the debate in Germany in the 1930s. I think that is factually accurate."
The former professional footballer only realised the political storm which ensued as a result of his tweet the 'next day,' receiving 'more than 200 WhatsApp messages,' one of which revealed he'd made the front page of the Mail.
Lineker explained he was initially relieved 'nothing bad had happened' - the influx of messages leading him to panic 'something must have happened to one of the kids' - and views his tweet as having been blown 'totally out of proportion'.
"That’s what papers like the Mail do. They turn something you’ve said into something you haven’t said and whip it up into a huge row. [...] Then the politicians pile in and the BBC felt they had to do something," he added.
Lineker then revealed there are 'two issues in particular' he and the BBC have since 'agreed' he will 'not stop occasionally tweeting about' - with the company bringing in new social media guidelines after the presenter's return to Match of the Day.
"Climate change and refugees. I wasn’t prepared to back down on that, especially as I felt and still feel that what I tweeted was fair and true.
"I wasn’t abusive, I wasn’t saying she was a Nazi. I talked about the use of words like ‘invasion’ and ‘swarms’ and ‘criminals’ and ‘rapists’, which I think we should be very careful about because it has real-life consequences."
Despite his tweet having been blown 'totally out of proportion' Lineker is grateful for the response he received from fellow presenters.
"I think the key moment was when the other presenters and then the commentators made it clear they wouldn’t go on if I was taken off air. I really found that incredibly moving," he said.
"I had a tear in my eye when I heard Wrighty and Alan Shearer had pulled out. Ian had told me he would do it, but it is one thing to say it, another to do it. Then one by one the others pulled out, and even some of the players and managers said they wouldn’t do interviews."
Lineker resolved: "To be fair to Tim Davie, he admitted they had got it wrong and sorted it out. I love the BBC and I was very glad to be back on air and talking about football again."
Question is, has Lineker got any more tweets lined up?
"I always think twice. I have three rules: I never tweet if I’ve been drinking, I never tweet if I’m angry, and I always read the tweet back before hitting send. If I have one percent of doubt, I don’t post it."
A solid set of rules to live by.
LADbible has contacted the Mail for comment.
Topics: BBC, Celebrity, Gary Lineker, News, Politics, Sport, UK News
Poppy Bilderbeck