It appears chaos has erupted behind the scenes of the BBC’s popular Match of the Day highlight show after its star presenter was suspended from the broadcast. The controversy stems from a tweet by lead presenter Gary Lineker that criticized the British government for its plans to deny entry to small boats of asylum seekers, which he called “beyond awful.” The show, which is hugely popular in the U.K. on Premier League match days, announced that it was pulling Lineker from the air until they compile a feasible social media policy for him. In the meantime, some of the biggest names in soccer—and regular contributors on Match of the Day—have announced they won’t go on air as long as their colleague is benched. “Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me,” Ian Wright wrote to Twitter on Friday, “but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity.” Wright is joined by Alan Shearer and Alex Scott in suggesting they’ll boycott the show as well.
