After a day of thunderous controversy, a deafening silence swallows BBC One. The clamorous fallout from Gary Lineker’s tweet comparing British government ministers’ language about asylum seekers to that of Nazi Germany is replaced by a deathly quiet as Match of the Day is replaced by a bare-bones highlights package (Saturday, 10.20pm). It lacks presenter, pundits and commentators – all out in support of the suspended presenter.
What eerie viewing it makes. This is a negative-image Match of the Day that isn’t even called Match of the Day and is shorn of its studio and that parping theme tune. Instead the BBC is slapping up 20 minutes of “Premier League Highlights” – all the goals from all the games but none of the banter.
[ Gary Lineker’s Match of the Day saga is a depressing sign of the times for the UKOpens in new window ]
“Unsettling” doesn’t begin to describe it. Soccer on the telly doesn’t work without commentary, because you need a warm guiding voice as a point of focus. Instead, there is the dull roar of the crowd and the disembodied thump of boot on ball. It’s chilling and farcical – like a tiddlywinks tournament in a morgue.
As fate would have it, the second game up is Leicester City’s defeat at home – a match attended by local boy Lineker – to Chelsea, at which fans hold up signs praising the presenter for speaking up on behalf of asylum seekers.
“Linekergate” has convulsed Britain, if not pushed it to the brink of a post-Brexit psychotic episode. The BBC’s director general, Tim Davie, has insisted he will not resign over his handling of the affair, saying impartiality is fundamental to the broadcaster.
“I’m sorry audiences have been affected and they haven’t got the programming,” he told BBC Radio. “As a keen sports fan I know to miss programming is a real blow, and I’m sorry about that. We are working very hard to resolve this situation and make sure we get output on air.”
[ Gary Lineker says he stands by criticism of UK government’s immigration policyOpens in new window ]
Outside Lineker’s house in London, supporters waited to cheer him. At a Fatboy Slim gig in Manchester, the DJ flashed the former England striker’s likeness on stage – prompting, much like Leicester’s performance, a blend of boos and cheers.
Lineker’s tweet and subsequent suspension turned into an avalanche of protest against the BBC. Throughout Saturday, Radio 5 Live, the BBC’s sports service, was forced to constantly revise its schedule as presenters took Lineker’s side and refused to go on air.
Amid the tumult, the 20-minute broadcast that replaces Match of the Day feels like a bizarre calm at the centre of a storm that shows no indication of blowing out. Leicester, in the end, are thumped by Chelsea. Lineker, though, shows no signs of capitulation. The longer the saga rumbles on, the more he is starting to look like the winner.
