Voice of America
19 Mar 2023, 06:06 GMT+10
LONDON - Former England football captain Gary Lineker returned to host the BBC's flagship soccer show Saturday, a week after his suspension for criticizing government immigration policy caused a row over the broadcaster's impartiality rules.
BBC managers reversed their decision to suspend Lineker, the broadcaster's highest-paid presenter, after his colleagues refused to work in solidarity last weekend, forcing it to air soccer matches without normal commentary.
The controversy shook the public broadcaster, which is funded by a levy on nearly all British households with televisions, and which often faces accusations of bias from across the political spectrum.
'It was a really difficult situation for everyone concerned,' Lineker's co-presenter Alan Shearer said in a short statement to viewers before the start of the BBC's broadcast of an FA Cup quarter-final game between Burnley and Manchester City.
'And through no fault of their own, some really great people on TV and in radio were put in an impossible situation, and that wasn't fair. So, it's good to get back to some sort of normality and be talking about football again,' Shearer said.
Lineker said, 'I absolutely echo those sentiments.'
Lineker, who has hosted refugees in his home, had been suspended March 10 for a tweet that called government policy on migration 'immeasurably cruel' and compared language used to support it to 'that used by Germany in the 30s.'
BBC news reporters and current affairs presenters are required to avoid making politically partisan statements, though those guidelines do not generally apply to other staff or to presenters on freelance contracts such as Lineker.
He refused to apologize for his tweet and the opposition Labour Party accused the broadcaster of caving in to government pressure by suspending him. After reinstating Lineker, the BBC said it would review how its impartiality guidelines applied to freelance presenters' use of social media.
Reducing illegal migration is one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's top policy goals for 2023.
More than 45,000 people - mostly young men from Albania, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq - crossed the Channel in small boats last year, preferring to seek asylum in Britain rather than other countries they had traveled through in Europe.
Interior minister Suella Braverman has described these arrivals as an 'invasion' and is seeking to deport thousands of migrants to Rwanda.
Get a daily dose of San Jose Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to San Jose Sun.
More Information(Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images) Masataka Yoshida is expected to be in the lineup when the Boston Red Sox try to complete...
(Photo credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images) After a week of angst that saw them fall out of first place in the American League East,...
(Photo credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images) New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto might be trying to prove a point this week after he...
(Photo credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images) Luis Arraez homered in the seventh inning to break up a scoreless tie Tuesday night and...
(Photo credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images) Lawrence Butler homered twice and Nick Kurtz belted his first career grand slam to lead...
(Photo credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images) Luis Arraez homered in the seventh inning to break up a scoreless tie Tuesday night and...
LONDON, U.K.: This week, BP appointed Simon Henry, former Shell finance chief, to its board as a non-executive director effective September...
OTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...