The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is again facing tough questions across the world after it suspended one of its top-rated and much-appreciated sports show presenters for expressing disagreement with the government's policy on new asylum policy.
The major development came hours after soccer host Gary Lineker criticised the UK government's latest "contentious" laws on asylum seekers from his social media account. He compared Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's law to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat to that used in Nazi Germany.
BBC suspends its top-paid presenter
Subsequently, the broadcaster suspended, Lineker, the former England captain, from hosting “Match of the Day,” a popular soccer highlights show since 1999.
However, he got immense support from his colleagues, who walked out of the show in solidarity with the 62-year-old presenter.
They accused the organisation of maintaining political biases and suppressing free speech.
Instead of blanket coverage on Saturday of the most popular league in the world, the BBC had no preview shows on radio or TV and no early evening summary of the final scores of Premier League games. Lunchtime TV program “Football Focus” was replaced with a rerun episode of the antiques show “Bargain Hunt,” while early evening “Final Score” was swapped for “The Repair Shop.”
The BBC said it was “sorry for these changes which we recognize will be disappointing for BBC sport fans. We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to do so soon.”
Sunak calls to resolve the issue
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even weighed in, urging Lineker and the BBC to settle their disagreement. “Gary Lineker was a great footballer and is a talented presenter. I hope that the current situation between Gary Lineker and the BBC can be resolved in a timely manner, but it is rightly a matter for them, not the government,” he said.
Lineker, 62, was a household name in Britain even before he became chief “Match of the Day” presenter in 1999. One of English soccer’s most lauded players, he was the leading scorer at the 1986 World Cup and finished his international career with 48 goals in 80 matches for England.
After retiring from a career that included stints with Barcelona, Tottenham, Everton and Leicester, Lineker has become one of the U.K.’s most influential media figures and the BBC’s best-paid star, earning 1.35 million pounds ($1.6 million) last year.
BBC's controversial documentary on PM Modi
It is worth mentioning the latest row came more than two months after it released a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wherein it questioned his alleged role in the 2002 Godhara riots. It attracted huge criticism in New Delhi, where the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) questioned the UK's government role and the funding it receives from the administration. Earlier last year, the Indian tax authorities also conducted a raid that it touted as a "survey". The sleuths said that the income and profits shown by various BBC group entities are not commensurate with the scale of their operations in India.
(With inputs from AP)
