Gary Lineker, BBC and Freedom of Speech - **Read OP**

irishproduce

Having a read today that they're all pulling out of the match of the day show.

People also cancelling their licence fees whatever that means?

My view is that he is entitled to his opinion and the BBC are entitled to tell him where to go in breach of policies.

He can spout his stuff freely but he can't be a representative of an unbiased news source for many.

Didn't the same happen to the guy who did Top Gear show. Fell foul of the policies and had to move on.

Don't get why all the woke crowd are trying to have him defended.

The prime minister is entitled to formulate policy that seems consistent with the public's wishes.

Mod warning posted 13/03/23

This is not another immigration thread. It is about the Lineker/BBC

If anyone does want to continue down the route of discussing refugees/immigration you can expect threadbans

maebee

Hard to see it going ahead this weekend. Can't see anyone stepping in for Wright and Shearer. BBC have shot themselves in the foot on this one.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11845289/BBC-takes-Gary-Lineker-AIR.html

I tweeted to BBC saying I am boycotting MOTD until Gary Lineker is reinstated. Hopefully a few people follow suit.

Clareman

I'd guess that MotD will have 1 of it's largest viewing figures tomorrow night, bit like the rubberneckers at a car accident. For me it's all a bit crazy, here's a guy getting paid GB£1.25m a year to be a presenter on TV, 100k a month, 25k a week, that just shows the amount of money involved in the sport now, the mad thing is if the BeeB do decide to get rid of him he'll just walk into BT/Sky/Dazn and get the same, if not more, money. It was also OK for him to make political statements on the BeeB for the World Cup but he can't say what he wants on his own Twitter account once it's about the UK Government, it doesn't add up.

StevenToast

Bring back Des Lynam, Alan Hansen....

Problem solved.

loyatemu

Frank Lampard is famously a Tory, and he's currently available. Matt Le Tissier and Peter Shilton as analysts et voila, a new MOTD fit for Daily Mail Island.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120342577#Comment_120342577

It's actually pretty disturbing imo, definite shades of Brian Lenihan ringing the head of RTE to complain about talk of a crash on Liveline prior to the crash.

Minister for information Braverman commenting on someone's private Twitter account to put pressure on their state employer to act on them is the last grasp for power, if not a direct attack on free speech.

Clareman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120342674#Comment_120342674

Everyone is so busy trying to do the right thing they are doing the wrong thing. The BBC has been seen as an old boys network for a long time, a lot of people in the UK are anti-license fee, stuff like this will just see the end of the BBC.

Thargor

Some of the utterances by Alan Sugar and Andrew Neal on Twitter are a million times worse than what Lineker said but thats fine these days because they're right wing I suppose.

Indestructable

Going ahead with no punditry. Just clips. Guess they couldn't find anyone to cover.

loyatemu

they've pulled a David Attenborough programme about the environment today as well, out of concerns it would generate adverse reaction from right-wing commentators - WTF is happening to the UK, just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. The country is being governed by the Daily Mail comments section.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2023/mar/10/david-attenborough-bbc-wild-isles-episode-rightwing-backlash-fears

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120342735#Comment_120342735

They didn't though.

https://twitter.com/Jake_Kanter/status/1634221218004885504?t=snKOo3r-VKUhpE4EjPJC5w&s=19

ForestFire

I heard John Terry has his old Match kit out, as soon as he heard the news, and is currently fitting it on to step into action!!!

astrofool

Hopefully the premier league can sue them for not living up to the broadcasting rights deal they have in place.

Shakyfan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120342717#Comment_120342717

Not forgetting Laura Kuenssberg whose politics are to the right of Hitler....

Mental Mickey

S**tshow

icdg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120342889#Comment_120342889

The Premier League really don’t care what standard the coverage is as long as the cheque is handed over. The broadcaster could air the PLP highlights show and they’d be happy with that, lots of broadcasters internationally take PLP coverage and put none of their own resources in. Premier Sports have done it from time to time here.

Not saying they are happy with a controversy like this mind you, but getting the ££££ is their main interest.

giveitholly

Commentators threatening to pull out as well now

ForestFire

Players will be protected by PFA, if not fulfilling interviews etc.

I wonder, could the cameras/TV crews hampered in any way....Maybe a sudden power issue that only affects their outlets! , and the electrician is out sick for the day

Atlantic Dawn

Wonder what will happen MOTD2 on Sunday night.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120342733#Comment_120342733

I would say John Inverdale would have done it....and been absolutely brutal...like he is at everything else...so probably for the best.

BBC have made a total arse of this and exposes the double standards...the chairman of the BBC should already be done imo

ForestFire

Also, did the BBC allow Lineker and others to make "Political statements" about Qatar before the tournament in the opening ceremony??

I guess it's okay if it's about another country (Even if everyone agreed with this stance...that time)!!!!

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343067#Comment_120343067

Disastrous blunder by the BBC - they underestimated just how popular Gary Lineker is and that there are many millions of people in Britain who hate the Tory Party and the Daily Mail. Trying to appease these cranks by shafting Lineker is a huge mistake.

Atlantic Dawn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343117#Comment_120343117

I believe so, the BBC actually pulled the opening ceremony from being broadcast which I thought was crazy.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/nov/20/bbc-ignores-world-cup-opening-ceremony-in-favour-of-qatar-criticism

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343117#Comment_120343117

Which exposes the toxic relationship between the Tories and the BBC. The Beeb are apparently free to criticise foreign regimes and their human rights record but say anything negative about the Tory government and their media backers and the right wing press go into meltdown.

giveitholly

There u go

https://twitter.com/ConorMcNamaraIE/status/1634333464882294785?t=NHk8DBE-BpTm3rMmkLJv-Q&s=19

maebee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343305#Comment_120343305

WOW. How will the BBC loving Tories get out of this one?

Heighway61

He who pays the piper... Those with the money and power have always assumed that they are buying the person as well as the skillset.

kirk.

I won't be posting on this thread tomorrow

#solidarity

dockysher

Who even watches this anymore? Must being 15 years since watched

Denny61

Just heard..match of day to be presented by 3 refugees straight off the boat lol

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343441#Comment_120343441

From Gary linkers house

supermans ghost

Best thing to happen MOTD in years, might start watching it again. Like the current day players the current day presenters, pundits and commentator’s are all overpaid, smug, hypocrites. The basic requirement to be a pundit on MOTD is insert the word ‘quality’ into every other sentence. This team lacks a quality striker etc…. How come not one of them felt enough solidarity with the workers that built the Qatari stadiums to boycott the World Cup.

BorneTobyWilde

What Gary said is a load of tosh, but it's so important to defend his right to say it.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120342877#Comment_120342877

I heard Harry Kane is claiming that while Gary wrote the tweet that he pressed enter and got the last touch.

Tom Mann Centuria

No pre or post match interviews for MOTD from Bournemouth or Liverpool in the early kick off, and supposedly the rest of the Premier League teams are following suit for their fixtures.

robwen

https://twitter.com/SkyKaveh/status/1634288030658842641?t=BBdFM3dEHAfJRAcjvwg_fw&s=19

Nailed it

supermans ghost

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343512#Comment_120343512

I agree he should be able to express his viewpoints, no matter how crass and ill informed they may be, the key difference here is he is paid by the BBC (£1.35million) who are funded by the licence payers and are expected to be impartial, when he as one of their marque presenters goes out and says or does something that is going to damage the BBC brand then he should expect consequences. If he wants to be the champion of the downtrodden then he should resign and run for parliament or just do his podcasts which I believe are supposed to be quite popular, either way I never liked him as a presenter, too sickly sweet for my taste. I wonder would those people standing in solidarity with him feel the same way about that other blowhard Jeremy Clarkson and what he wrote about the Princess of Montecito.

gormdubhgorm

I don't really see the fuss to be honest there are plenty of other options. ~MOTD had gone a bit stale anyway. Dull.

The only thing that annoys me is the the BBC had Lineker reading that 'political statement' before the Qatar World Cup. And didn't show the pre tournament presentation on the main BBC. The whole thing stinks of hypocrisy.

It seems it is only 'political comment' against BBC's 'impartiality' when the person has a high profile on social media, and is critiquing British government policy?

BorneTobyWilde

The BBC asking Lineker to apologise

https://streamable.com/r29klo

https://streamable.com/r29klo

thegame983

I'm sure we'd all like to live in a world where we can call our paymaster a nazi.

Unfortunately we don't.

BorneTobyWilde

Match of the Day alternative

https://streamable.com/v0dzr3

RobbingBandit

I'd love a Game of the Afternoon show to pop up on ITV with Shearer Wright and Lineker all coming out in full on NWO t-shirts.

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343583#Comment_120343583

Media is driving the hysteria as usual

kirk.

Speaking on Thursday on GB News, Le Tissier said: 'I can tell you Gary Lineker is no saint, not in any way, shape or form. There's very few of us around that are saints. I'm no saint, we've all made mistakes in our lives but we don't all virtue signal to the extent that Mr Lineker does.

'I don't even have to imagine, there are quite a few skeletons in Gary's closet down the years. He's obviously got some friends in very high places who have protected him, there's no two ways about that.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11845981/Matt-Le-Tissier-mocks-Gary-Lineker-stepped-aside-Match-Day.html?ico=related-replace

Wonder will these sex pest rumors come to light now he's kicked the hornets nest

.Donegal.

Couldn’t give a shite about lineker. I did find it funny tho this past couple of days. Those who are obsessed with whinging about cancel culture and who never shut up about it were calling for Garry to be cancelled. Too thick to realise the hypocrisy though. Whatever suits them.

.Donegal.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343502#Comment_120343502

No doubt if they replace him an ethnic person you’ll be crying they’ve gone woke and that’s why you’ll never watch again lol

MOTD just won’t be the same with Fiona Bruce and Piers Morgan hosting.

kowloonkev

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343621#Comment_120343621

Could you give some examples of these people calling for him to be cancelled please? TIA

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343512#Comment_120343512

It's not tosh in the slightest.

YabaDabaDooley

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120343583#Comment_120343583

Spot on. I'm usually busy Saturday night so record Match of the Day and when i watch later i fast forward the 'analysis' by Lineker and Wright and just watch the match highlights. Same with Match of Day 2. Football highlights and zero analysis. Suits me fine.