Match of the Day commentators join pundits boycott after Gary Lineker resigns

Six leading match-of-the-day commentators have contributed to the growing boycott of Saturday programming after Gary Lineker was ousted from the BBC.

A joint statement from the group, which includes regular commentators such as Steve Wilson and Conor McNamara, said: “It would not be appropriate to participate in the program.”

This contributed to the revolt that followed the BBC’s decision to remove Lineker from his presenting duties after the former England international’s criticism of the government’s new asylum policy breached its impartiality guidelines.

Ian Wright and Alan Shearer announced they would not be appearing on Match of the Day as planned out of solidarity, while Micah Richards, Jermaine Jenas and Alex Scott also ruled out appearing on the show.

It’s forced Match of the Day to take the unprecedented step of announcing that the program will “focus on match action with no studio presentation or expert knowledge” – but the match highlights now risk lacking commentary either Because, the producers choose to use the The World Premier League feed.

The commentators released a joint statement late Friday, which read: “As commentators from MOTD, we have decided to step down from tomorrow night’s broadcast.

“We are reassured that football fans who wish to watch their teams should continue to be able to do so as management can use World Feed commentary if they wish. However, under the circumstances, we do not consider it appropriate to participate in the program.”

Wright and Shearer announced earlier in the day that they would boycott the “Solidarity” match of the day with Lineker, with Richards, Jenas and Scott also opting out of appearing on the show.

The BBC later confirmed there will be no presenter or pundits at Match of the Day. A BBC spokesman said: “Some of our experts have said they do not wish to appear on the show while we try to resolve the situation with Gary.

“We understand their position and have decided that the program will focus on match action with no studio presentation or expert knowledge.”

The BBC previously said Lineker had been ordered to “step back” from his presenting duties due to his use of social media.

Lineker has been embroiled in a row over impartiality after criticizing the government’s asylum policy on small boats. The former England striker compared the language of government when introducing the policy to that of 1930s Germany.