Match of the Day will have no commentators tonight following Gary Lineker standing down
Match of the Day is going to feel rather different tonight, as the commentators have announced they are joining fellow pundits in not appearing on tonight's show.
On Friday (10 March) the BBC announced that they had asked Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker to step back from hosting the show until an agreement was reached on his social media use.
It follows an impartiality row over comments Lineker made about the Government's new asylum policy, which he compared to 1930s Germany.
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He said it was 'an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s'.
The BBC said they had 'been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days' and considered his recent social media activity where he tweeted criticisms of the British government over the migrant crisis to be in breach of their guidelines.
Since the BBC announced that they were taking their highest paid presenter off air, many of Lineker's colleagues have rallied around him.
The most recent ones are the six commentators who were due to cover matches for Match of the Day this weekend.
A statement released by the six commentators who were set to cover games read: "As commentators on MOTD, we have decided to step down from tomorrow night's broadcast.
"We know that football fans want to watch their teams should still be able to do so, as management can use world feed commentary if they wish.
"However, in the circumstances we do not feel it would be appropriate to take part in the programme."
It comes after the BBC was plunged into crisis on Friday evening, with presenters and pundits confirming they would not appear on this evening's show.
It all started with MOTD favourite Ian Wright, who tweeted in support of Lineker.
He wrote: "Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I've told the BBC I won't be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity."
Later on, fellow Match of the Day regular Alan Shearer took to Twitter to confirm that he had informed the BBC he would not be appearing on the show either.
Since the BBC announced that Lineker was stepping back, Sky News have reported that the statement issued by the BBC was 'incorrect'.
They report that Linker has instead been 'taken off the air as he is unwilling to apologise for his social media comments on government policy'.
LADbible has contacted the BBC for comment.
Topics: Sport, Football, TV and Film, BBC, Gary Lineker
Callum Jones