Premier League players and managers will not give Match of the Day interviews amid Gary Lineker row

Match of the Day will not feature interviews with Premier League players and managers as the boycott for the Saturday night highlights show continues.

In a chaotic Friday evening, the BBC announced Gary Lineker had been told to step back from his position as MOTD host following his social media comments where he criticised the government's new asylum policy and compared the language used to Nazi Germany.

The BBC said it was a "breach of our guidelines" and told the former England striker to "keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies".

But the programme was thrown into complete and utter disarray as Lineker's regular broadcast partners Ian Wright and Alan Shearer both took to Twitter to confirm they were boycotting in solidarity with the 62-year-old.

Jermaine Jenas and Micah Richards both said they would have taken the same approach had they been scheduled to appear, while Alex Scott pulled out of hosting Football Focus before the show was axed.

The BBC then provided an update on the MOTD, announcing it would still go ahead but without pundits and any sort of studio presentation.

Not long after, BBC's usual commentators put out a statement confirming they would not be describing the action - with commentary expected to come from the world feed.

And in another unprecedented move, no Premier League player or manager interviews will take place.

The BBC informed the Premier League that the 12 clubs in action, including Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham, would not receive interview requests.

The PFA said they were in support of some players who were thinking about boycotting broadcasting commitments but no such refusal now needs to take place because they have been removed from the predicament.

A statement said: "During those conversations we made clear that, as their union, we would support all members who might face consequences for choosing not to complete their broadcast commitments.

"This is a common sense decision that ensures players won't now be put in that position."

Lineker has presented Match of the Day since 1999 and fronts the BBC's coverage of international tournaments like the World Cup and European Championships.

Featured Image Credit: BBC & Gary Lineker

Topics: Premier League, Match Of The Day, Gary Lineker

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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