Ian Wright boycotts Match of the Day in protest at Gary Lineker being axed

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Ian Wright will boycott Match of the Day's coverage this weekend after the BBC announced Gary Lineker will be stepping back.

A statement by the BBC stated on Friday that presenter Lineker will be stepping away from his duties on the show after failing to "agree a position on his use of social media". It came after he compared the government's policies to those of Nazi Germany on Twitter earlier in the week, triggering backlash from Tory MPs.

But colleague and friend Wright has now announced he will not be taking part in the show in solidarity.

READ MORE: Gary Lineker 'stepping back' from Match of the Day after BBC investigation into 'Nazi' tweet

Wright tweeted: "Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity."

The former Arsenal striker's decision was in response to a statement released by the BBC after Lineker shared a video tweeted out by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, where she unveiled government plans to put a halt to migrant boats crossing the English Channel.

Do you think the BBC will back down in its treatment of Gary Lineker? Let us know in the comments section.

The BBC's statement read: “The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines.

“The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media.

“When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none.

"We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can't have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies."

They added: “The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media."

Reports have since suggested sources close to Lineker claim he did not agree to step back from MOTD – claiming the BBC has taken him off air after he refused to apologise for his tweets.

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• Gary Lineker
• BBC
• Ian Wright

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