The BBC’s flagship football highlights program, Match Of The Day, was watched by 2.6 million viewers on Saturday, a significant increase of nearly half a million from last week’s show, according to BBC overnight figures. However, this significant viewership came as a result of the program airing in a drastically reduced format, lacking commentary, analysis, and even its famous theme tune. Instead, the show was broadcast for only 20 minutes, featuring short highlight clips of the day’s matches.
The format change came as a result of a boycott by the program’s presenters and pundits, who were protesting the BBC’s decision to ask Gary Lineker to step back from hosting the show following a tweet comparing the language used to launch a new Government asylum seeker policy with 1930s Germany. Lineker’s tweet sparked controversy, and the BBC’s decision to distance itself from the presenter has been met with widespread criticism.
Several other BBC football shows were also pulled at the last minute on Saturday, including Football Focus and Final Score, while 5 Live’s radio coverage was significantly altered. The disruption to the broadcaster’s sports schedule is expected to continue into Sunday, with Match Of The Day 2 set to follow a similar reduced format.
The crisis was further compounded when several prominent football figures announced they would not appear on the program. Former England internationals Alan Shearer and Ian Wright, as well as former England striker Jermain Defoe, all withdrew their support, citing a desire to stand in solidarity with Lineker.
Gary Lineker (Via Gary Lineker/Twitter)
The situation has led to widespread debate about the role of sport and journalism, with many questioning the BBC’s decision to ask Lineker to step back from hosting the show. BBC director-general Tim Davie has apologized for the disruption caused by the crisis, but has refused to resign over the controversy.
Despite the chaos, some sports programming did continue, including the Women’s Super League match between Chelsea and Manchester United, which aired on BBC Two without a pre-match presentation and with world feed commentary used instead of regular BBC presenters. Gabby Logan did host live coverage of the Six Nations match between Scotland and Ireland, however.
The crisis is set to continue in the coming days, with many wondering how the situation will be resolved and what the future holds for Lineker and the BBC’s sports programming.
