Alan Shearer has now also stated that he will not be appearing on this weekend’s Match of the Day episode after Gary Lineker was told to ‘step back’ from the show.
Lineker was asked to take a step back from the show by the BBC after causing a stir with his social media activity.
The BBC released a statement confirming their decision.
“The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days.” The BBC statement reads.
“We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.
“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.”
After the news was announced his fellow pundit, Ian Wright, tweeted that he would not be appearing on the show in a sign of solidarity.
Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity.
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) March 10, 2023
Now Shearer has also tweeted that he will not appear on the show.
I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night.
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) March 10, 2023