Match of the Day legend Gary Lineker was axed from the show this weekend, with his fellow presenters and even Match of the Day commentators stepping back to show solidarity.
Lineker was said to have wept at the amount support he has got from his colleagues and peers in the industry.
The BBC announced on Friday that the 62-year-old would be stepped back from his hosting duties after he 'breached guidelines' after commenting on the government's new Migration Bill as 'beyond awful' on social media.
Lineker amicably agreed to this decision, however it has brought on severe backlash from fans and his fellow MOTD presenters alike, with Ian Wright and Alan Shearer shortly following the news up by announcing that they would not be presenting Match of the Day in solidarity with Lineker.
Advert
Other potential stand-in hosts and commentators also announced their intentions to remove themselves from the running to replace the presenters on an interim basis.
According to the Sun, Lineker was left overwhelmed by the actions of his BBC colleagues after the decision was made to take him off the air.
The source said: “This has been a tumultuous 24 hours. Gary is in shock and had no idea this was coming. He wanted to go on air, make no bones about it, this was not his decision. Privately, everyone at the Beeb is in meltdown too. They genuinely don’t know how they will get a show out because no one wants to touch it.
“Everyone in the industry is appalled at how Gary has been hung out to dry, and the general BBC inconsistency. The support has been overwhelming which, essentially, is a massive pie in the face for the BBC.”
LIVE UPDATES: BBC show goes ahead without Gary Lineker with Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City highlights
After the majority of potential pundits were out of the running, the BBC announced that Saturday's broadcast would not feature any pundits or even a host. In a statement issued late on Friday night, the BBC said:
“Some of our pundits have said that they don’t wish to appear on the programme while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary.
“We understand their position and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry.”
Shortly after this statement, the commentators who were scheduled to work on this weekend's show announced that they too would be stepping back from Saturday's broadcasts instead of providing commentary on the six fixtures that are set to be shown.
The BBC has made it clear that they will support any players who decide they are unwilling to speak to the organisation either before or after this weekend's round of domestic matches, as some players and coaches have come out in support of Lineker.
Topics: Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker, Ian Wright, Match Of The Day, Football
Joshua Nair