Alan Shearer has become the second pundit to boycott tomorrow night’s Match of the Day programme.
On Friday afternoon, it was confirmed by the BBC that presenter Gary Lineker will step back from the show after facing backlash over his social media activities.
The former England striker wrote on Twitter comparing the government’s new asylum policy to Germany under Nazi ruling.
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Lineker’s tweets led to huge criticism and the BBC decided to speak to the presenter about his social media activities.
In a statement, the BBC said: “The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days.
“We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.
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“The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we've got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.
“When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can't have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies.”
In the aftermath of the BBC’s announcement, Ian Wright was the first to defend Lineker by tweeting that he will not take part in tomorrow’s programme.
Now, former Newcastle and England star Shearer has too.
He tweeted: “I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night.”
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Whilst former Arsenal player Alex Scott has also appeared to rule herself out.
Controversial presenter Piers Morgan has also defended Lineker by ripping into the BBC.
Who will replace Lineker as Match of the Day presenter? Only time will tell.
Topics: Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Match Of The Day, Football
Marcus Chan