Gary Lineker’s removal from presenting Match of the Day has caused controversy, with former Tottenham striker Darren Bent claiming that the BBC has given in to “cancel culture”. Lineker’s tweet criticising the UK government’s new asylum policy led to the BBC announcing that he would be taking a “step back” from his presenting role. Arsenal legend Ian Wright and Premier League’s all-time top scorer Alan Shearer then stated they would not feature on Match of the Day as pundits in solidarity to their colleague. Bent argued that Lineker was expressing his freedom of speech and that the decision was “bonkers”. The BBC has stated that Match of the Day on Saturday will have no studio presenters or pundits.
