Gary Lineker to step back from presenting BBC sports program after tweet criticizing government’s migrant policy

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Gary Lineker will step back from presenting the BBC Match of the Day program, the company said Friday.

Lineker will be off the program until a deal is reached on his use of social media, the BBC said in a statement.

Following the decision, Ian Wright, former Arsenal and England striker, announced that he would not appear on the program in a show of solidarity with Lineker.

"Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity," he wrote on Twitter.

Lineker tweeted: "Good heavens, this is beyond awful," in response Tuesday to a video message by Interior Minister Suella Braverman about stopping migrant boats.

Lineker said there is no huge influx and the UK takes far fewer refugees than other major European countries.

"This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?" he wrote.

Also, speaking to reporters Thursday outside his home in London, Lineker defended his comments on the controversial illegal migration bill and said he does not regret his tweet.

Lineker, 62, has faced criticism for his tweet and the language used as it sparked dispute about the BBC's “impartiality rules.”

The British government introduced the bill Tuesday in a bid to address the increasing number of illegal small boat crossings in the UK via the English Channel.

The new bill would ensure that those who come to the UK illegally would be unable to claim asylum, benefit from “modern slavery protections,” make "spurious" human rights claims or stay in the UK, according to the government,