Viewers tuning into the BBC for a day full of “the beautiful game” were left scratching their heads Saturday as BBC hosts bowed out and forced the cancellation or modification of their soccer programming in support of a suspended colleague. British soccer legend and longtime Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker was suspended by the BBC for comparing the ruling Conservative Party’s immigration policy and rhetoric to 1930s Nazi Germany. Lineker’s fellow Match of the Day presenters refused to go on the air, and the BBC was forced to cancel the pre-game show Football Focus, with the results show Final Score also reportedly not airing. The BBC decided to run Match of the Day without commentary, with a spokesman saying: “Some of our pundits have said that they don’t wish to appear on the programme while we seek to resolve the situation with Gary. We understand their position and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry.”
