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Gary Lineker has dismissed criticism from his Match of the Day predecessor Des Lynam who mentioned he ought to “get on with the football” and keep away from controversial matters exterior the sport.
Lineker, 62, needed to “step back” from presenting the BBC’s flagship soccer present earlier this 12 months till he and the company reached an “agreed and clear position” on his use of social media, the broadcaster mentioned.
His tweets have attracted controversy whereas he has been the BBC’s highest-paid on-air expertise for the sixth consecutive 12 months and the one star to earn greater than £1 million within the 12 months 2022/2023, based on the company’s annual report.
Host of Match Of The Day Gary Lineker
(PA Wire)
Lynam, 80, instructed BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House programme: “I like him as a chap, I like him as a broadcaster. But I think there are some areas that he should stay out of.
“For example, the last World Cup was in Qatar and he went very, very strongly about the limitations of society in Qatar. And he’s right, there are, but he’s not the person to say it. Get on with the football”.
Lineker, a former Tottenham and Leicester striker, later commented: “Des is entitled to his opinion… as, of course, am I.”
(PA)
His response got here in a tweet replying to a remark by Adil Ray, the creator and author of BBC1’s Citizen Khan present.
He wrote: “Love Des Lynam but just heard a clip on Radio 4 this morning saying @GaryLineker should stick to football. In 2013, Lynam, still an influential figure, came out publicly as a supporter of Farage and UKIP.”
Lineker has tweeted broadly about refugees and immigration coverage the place he has voiced help for a liberal strategy to frame controls, and he additionally expressed help for a second EU referendum.
During final 12 months’s Qatar World Cup he led criticism of Foreign Secretary James Cleverly for suggesting LGBT+ followers be “respectful of the host nation”.
He posted in response to the cupboard minister’s feedback: “Whatever you do, don’t do anything gay. Is that the message?”
Lineker has been the face of Match Of The Day for greater than 20 years however his future on the BBC got here below the highlight in March amid questions on impartiality.
He was taken off air by the broadcaster after posting a tweet through which he mentioned the language utilized by the Government to advertise its asylum plans was not dissimilar to Nineteen Thirties Germany.
Lineker missed one version of the Saturday evening present, earlier than returning to his presenting position after a boycott by prime on-air expertise.
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