Gary Lineker has said that he and BBC Director-General Tim Davie reached an agreement that allows him to write about two problems that he is deeply concerned about: the refugee crisis and climate change.
They agreed, according to the commentator, when the broadcaster’s chief initially proposed his restrictions.
Earlier this month, the former professional footballer stirred a discussion about impartiality at the BBC by comparing the terminology used in the Home Office’s migrant boat policy to vocabulary ‘used by Germany in the 30s’.
Following that, the 62-year-old was requested to withdraw from hosting Match of the Day on Saturday March 11, with numerous other TV celebrities, including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, boycotting the show in solidarity with their friend and colleague.
Gary later returned to the BBC, and the firm is going to perform a review of its social media advice, as he stated in an update: ‘I am delighted that we have found a path ahead. I endorse this evaluation and look forward to returning to the airwaves.’
In a recent interview with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart on The Rest is Politics podcast, he gave further insight on what happened from his perspective.
He claimed he was still “befuddled” by the “disproportionate” response to his tweet, emphasising that his statement about Germany in the 1930s “was never meant as any kind of comparison with the Holocaust or anything like that.”
Gary was taken aback when he awoke the next day to find hundreds of messages on his phone, with no clue what had triggered the flood of texts, afraid that something had happened to one of his children or that’some kind of scandal’ had arisen.
On when he realised it was about his tweet, he added: ‘My first thing was really, “Hang on a minute, I’ve not been abusive to anyone. I’ve not said anything particularly controversial”. I think it was factual.’
He continued: ‘I’m not saying at all our policies echo those of Germany, but sometimes some of the language is not dissimilar.’
Gary then brought up the conversation that he had with Tim about being allowed to speak about the refugee crisis and climate change freely, stating: ‘When I first met Tim Davie when he first brought in his guidelines, we had a discussion and I said to Tim, “There are two things that I’ll continue to talk up on, that I will not back down on.”
‘And he agreed. One of them was about the refugee crisis and the other one was about climate change. I put this in that category.’
Putting forward the question of whether he would ‘do it differently now’, the TV personality said: ‘Probably, after the furore that it’s caused. But I think that it’s true and factual so I don’t think impartiality comes into it. I never contemplated it would be an issue at all.’
Gary recounted having a ‘tear in his eye’ when he learned that Ian and Alan had decided not to headline Match of the Day in solidarity with him.
‘It’s one thing saying that in a moment, but then actually to carry that through, they didn’t need to do that,’ he said.
Source My Celebrity Life.