LONDON (AP) – The BBC’s sports coverage faced a second day of severe disruptions Sunday as dozens of staff refused to work in solidarity with top soccer host Gary Lineker, who was suspended by the broadcaster after he tweeted criticism of the British government’s asylum policy.
Pressure was mounting on the BBC to resolve the crisis, with growing calls for its bosses to step down over allegations of political bias and suppressing free speech.
The BBC suspended Lineker, one of English soccer’s most lauded players and the corporation’s highest-paid presenter, on Friday after he tweeted a criticism of the UK government’s new migration policy and compared the its language about migrants to that used in Nazi Germany.
That triggered a huge backlash, and many of the BBC’s sports presenters and reporters walked out of their jobs Saturday in support of Lineker.
As a result, several daytime soccer shows were pulled at the last minute and “Match of the Day,” a popular late-night program showing highlights of Premier League games that day and regarded as something of a British institution since the 1960s, aired with no commentary and only featured shortened footage. Usually lasting around an hour and a half, Saturday’s “Match of the Day” only aired for 20 minutes.
No presenters are expected to accompany Sunday’s coverage of the Women’s Super League and “Match of the Day 2.”
Tim Davie, the BBC’s director-general, apologized for the disruption.
“It’s been a difficult day and I’m sorry that audiences have been affected and they haven’t got the programming,” Davie said on Saturday. “We are working very hard to resolve the situation and make sure that we get output back on air.”
The controversy began with a tweet on Tuesday from Lineker’s account describing the government’s plan to detain and deport migrants arriving by boat as “an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”