TThe BBC and presenters, the broadcaster, had previously planned to run the Game of the Day as normal until Friday lunchtime. Gary Lineker accepting a solution deemed unacceptable by the flagship host. Rejected by a number of industry figures, the company began scrambling to find an alternative team by Friday evening.
Independent The BBC hierarchy above BBC Sport is said to have asked Lineker to accept a press release that would essentially amount to an apology and a statement that he would be more careful on social media. rightly seen as a “self-humiliation” of the presenter.
Ultimately it was the BBC’s decision. to get him out of the Match of the Day. Lineker was already in touch. Ian Wrightwhen the former Arsenal forward told the host that if anything changes he will fully support him and is ready to leave the show.
Gary Lineker to ‘step back’ from Match Of The Day amid asylum disclosure controversy
The show crew nevertheless continued their regular pre-meetings on Friday afternoon, with the only provision for discussion being that the presenters would arrive at alternate studio entrances on Saturday due to the anticipated presence of photographers. The situation changed drastically at 4:15 p.m. as Lineker spoke to figures of the BBC hierarchy at the top of the sport until then.
After that, Lineker began to inform others that he had been told that he would not be presenting the show. Figures for Match of the Day were still trying to salvage the program at this point, reflecting the positional gap between BBC Sport and the wider organisation.
Naturally, Wright had already made up his mind. he won’t be availableand informed Alan Shearer, similarly feeling that they have no other choice. Two sources talk about how the whole situation is – It could have much bigger repercussions for the BBC and Match of the Day. – “changed in minutes”.
While there is great uncertainty about what will happen to the currently established team and whether this will continue for another week, a more pressing issue was what to do with the Saturday night show. For the BBC, his problems were just beginning.
While Match of the Day was battling for a presentation team, after being rejected by a number of industry figures, one broadcast figure’s view was: “Anyone who goes on will be seen as a shell and rightly beaten by the social media”.
Alex Scott, Micah Richards and Jermaine Jenas have said they won’t be appearing, and this has led the BBC to confirm that around 9:30 p.m. the show will resume, but there is an unprecedented scenario. no servers or experts.
Alex Scott stepped down from presenting Football Focus on Saturday
(PA)
Following the BBC’s decision on Lineker, the BBC’s on-screen talent was not the only side of the story considering how it would look if they appeared in Match of the Day.
Independent understands that some Premier League clubs are very concerned about allowing their employers to take part in Game of the Day and that doing so would constitute a “political action”. Then, late on Friday night, discussions were held with the Professional Footballers’ Association about joining the boycott.
A few players wanted to affiliate with ex-professionals such as Lineker, Wright and Shearer, and after the PFA voiced their concerns, the BBC informed clubs that it would not require players to honor their broadcast commitments. “This is a prudent decision to ensure players are no longer placed in that position,” the PFA said in a statement.
By then, Match of the Day and all of the BBC’s sports programs had already looked radically different. The question turned to the Game of the Day commentators as well as stadium reporters and the wider production team and their position.
There were six Premier League games to be screened in Saturday night’s Game of the Day, and in another dramatic move, all six commentators were scheduled to work on the matches. announced that he would participate in the boycott..
Everyone who has ever participated in the BBC boycott in solidarity with Gary Lineker
A statement from the group, including prominent BBC commentator Steve Wilson, who tweeted support for Lineker that afternoon, said it would “not be appropriate to be on the show”.
It was originally thought that the games would still be screened with commentary, but it turned out that Match of the Day didn’t have the rights to the Premier League’s “World Stream”, leaving the producers with the possibility of a “silent” show.
The prevailing sentiment amid Friday’s chaos continued into the fallout Saturday morning, when the BBC had “needlessly cornered themselves” under the threat of a potentially decades-old football brand.
In the latest extraordinary development, the revolt against the BBC Expanded to include Football Focus and Final Scoreforcing both programs out of the Saturday program.
Scott arrived as Jason Mohammed and several members of the BBC Sport team said they would not be on the air. BBC Radio 5 Live was also affected, with the station replacing its scheduled three-hour live broadcast with prerecorded podcasts. “We all need to stand together,” said a BBC Sport reporter.
The outage forced the BBC to apologize for its “limited sports program this weekend” and Managing Director Tim Davie has faced calls to resign. But the biggest cut was what happened to Game of the Day, which the BBC confirmed had been reduced to just 20 minutes of highlights without comment.
Conclusion it was a strange hourAs there’s no iconic theme tune, the continuity announcer simply said, “We’re sorry we can’t show our regular Match of the Day now on BBC One tonight, including commentary, but here’s the best action from today. Premier League matches.” A quick graphic showing the logos of both teams appeared before each match and background noise was used.The program started with highlights of the Bournemouth v Liverpool match before covering each of the other Saturday games and ending with an updated Premier League tableau.
The question now turns to how long the revolt will last. Sunday night’s Game of the Day schedule is questionable, and Premier League clubs will continue their boycott. It is also unclear whether the BBC will broadcast the match between Chelsea and Manchester United in the Women’s Super League.
Independent Contacted the BBC for comment.