Children bring letters home to Lineker as the fight over impartiality rages on

Children have brought letters home to Gary Lineker, one of which expresses support for his stance on refugees.

Two boys sent letters through the 62-year-old former England footballer’s door in front of a mob of reporters and photographers waiting for comment after he was told to “resign” from his duties as host of the game of the day amid an impartiality dispute .

Eight-year-old Tristan, who declined to give his last name, appeared with his mother with a letter saying “thank you very much” to the star.

His mother said: “My son said, ‘Thank you very much. Thank you for defending the refugees.”

Another boy was later seen delivering a letter, but his parents stayed in the car so reporters didn’t speak to him.

Lineker has previously taken in refugees into his home, including a 26-year-old man from Turkey who was involved in a military coup and escaped 18 months in prison.

Last October, Lineker said the man had gone through “hell” in the UK asylum system.

He previously offered his home in Surrey to a refugee from the Pakistani province of Balochistan.

The Linekers received a Pret delivery early Saturday morning and one of his sons told reporters his father wasn’t awake yet.

The reaction of locals in Barnes, south west London, to the presence of reporters was mixed.

Some locals said “leave him alone” while others were more positive – but none commented on the BBC controversy.

A few people could be seen pointing at the crowd of reporters and photographers from a nearby street and park.

Lineker left his home late Saturday morning but did not answer questions.

His son Harry later said he watched the Leicester City game.

On Thursday, before he was told to withdraw from Match Of The Day, Lineker was more upbeat and said “no” when asked if he feared a suspension over his tweets.