Gary Lineker is stepping back from hosting Match of the Day, the BBC has announced.
But according to external reports, a source close to the former Everton and England striker claims that he has not chosen to step back but has been taken off air by the BBC.
A statement from the corporation says that he will not return to hosting the show until an agreement has been made around social media use.
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The move comes after Lineker faced criticism for comments he made on social media about the government's asylum seeker policy.
A spokesperson for the BBC said: "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."
Shortly after the BBC's statement was published, and alternative narrative was posted on Twitter by journalist Rob Harris, who shared a report from Sky News.
In his Tweet, Sky News sports correspondent Harris said: "Source close to Gary Lineker says he has not agreed to step back from MOTD - claiming the BBC has taken him off air. It’s understood Lineker is unwilling to apologise for his tweets and admit he should not have posted them. The BBC has been approached for comment."
Since this story was first published, 5News presenter Dan Walker has read out a text live on air from Lineker.
Walker, who used to work for the BBC, said Lineker sent a message saying "they (the BBC) have told me I have to step back". Walker 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."
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