Gary Lineker to 'step away' from Match of the Day amid BBC impartiality row

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Gary Lineker to 'step away' from Match of the Day amid BBC impartiality row

The BBC have confirmed Gary Lineker will step away from his role as Match of the Day presenter until an "agreed and clear position" is reached on his social media use.

A media storm erupted when Lineker criticised the government's new asylum policy on Twitter earlier this week.

A post from the former England striker compared language used by the government in its plans to stop those in need crossing to channel to "that used by Germany in the 30s".

Sky News' Rob Harris has reported Lineker told sources he did not agree to step away and the BBC has taken him off air.

A statement from the BBC reads: "The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. 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."

The Conservative government launched The Illegal Immigration Bill earlier this week to stop boats crossing the Channel. Home secretaries would have a duty to detain and remove people arriving in the United Kingdom "illegally", either to Rwanda or another "safe" third country. Those people would be blocked from returning or seeking British citizenship in the future.