Alan Shearer has joined Ian Wright in saying he will not appear on Match of the Day on Saturday night after the BBC announced that Gary Lineker would be stepping back as the show's host.
A statement from the corporation said that Lineker will not return to hosting MOTD until an agreement has been made around his social media use. The move comes after the former Everton and England striker faced criticism for comments he made on social media about the government's asylum seeker policy.
5News presenter Dan Walker has since said that Lineker sent him a message saying "they (the BBC) have told me I have to step back". Walker, who used to work for the BBC, added: "Gary Lineker wants to continue to present Match of the Day and is not apologising. It's a BBC decision to force him not to present the programme at the moment."
READ MORE: Gary Lineker has not agreed to step back from Match of the Day, report claims
READ MORE: Ian Wright steps down from Match of the Day in 'solidarity' with Gary Lineker
Former Arsenal and England forward Ian Wright, who frequently features on Match of the Day alongside Lineker, took to social media to show support for his colleague and made it clear he will not be participating in tomorrow's broadcast.
"Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow," said Wright. "Solidarity."
And now Alan Shearer, who is also a regular on the show, has made it clear he will not be appearing either.
The former Blackburn Rovers and England striker said: "I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night."
Walker also showed his support for Lineker. "I used to sit in for Gary Lineker on MOTD... not sure I'd fancy it this weekend," he shared on Twitter. "What a mess!"
Lineker has hosted Match of the Day and the BBC's biggest live football events since 1999.
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