Featured Image Credit: Alamy
Topics: Gary Lineker, Match Of The Day, Premier League, Mark Chapman
Ryan Smart
Topics: Gary Lineker, Match Of The Day, Premier League, Mark Chapman
Gary Lineker will return to the BBC to present football coverage this weekend. But when we will next present Match of the Day?
The England legend was taken off air by the corporation for last weekend's edition of Match of the Day after he posted a tweet criticising the UK government's new immigration policy. He described it as an 'immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s'.
A significant number of Lineker's BBC Sport colleagues then told the corporation that they would not be working on programmes after their decision to take the 62-year-old off air.
Advert
That meant Football Focus, Final Score and several Radio 5 Live programmes were not aired. Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2, meanwhile, were restricted to short highlights programmes which included no studio presentation or commentary.
Live coverage of Sunday's Women Super League fixture between Chelsea and Manchester United also had no studio presentation, although the BBC did use commentary from the world feed.
On Monday, the corporation confirmed in a statement that Lineker would return to BBC programming after an agreement was reached between the two parties. BBC will now launch an independent review into its own social media guidelines.
Whilst Lineker will be returning to BBC programming, his first assignment back in the presenter's chair will be to anchor live coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final tie between Manchester City and Burnley on Saturday evening - not Match of the Day.
Usually, when Lineker is assigned this particular time slot for live coverage, his place on Match of the Day is taken by MOTD 2 host Mark Chapman or, if he is unavailable, Gabby Logan.
And the Daily Mirror claim that Chapman is indeed set to host Match of the Day on Saturday, due to Lineker's other commitments.
With an international break coming up after the next round of Premier League fixtures, Lineker's next MOTD appearance is likely to be on April 1.