Gary Lineker's son George has thanked Ian Wright for backing his father in his row with the BBC - and also insisted the Match of the Day host will win his feud with the corporation.
The corporation confirmed on Friday evening that Lineker would be taken off air from his Match of the Day presenting duties. That came after Lineker was criticised by Conservative MPs after tweeting his opposition to the Government's new migration policy.
Though Lineker tweeted he would be hosting this weekend's Match of the Day in the aftermath of the Twitter storm, the BBC have now confirmed he will be taken off hosting duties.
Arsenal legend Wright immediately said he would not appear on the show in solitary for his colleague - and Lineker's son George has now paid tribute to the pundit, tweeting: "Few greater people around that you Wrighty." He added: "Shouldn’t apologise for being a good person. He’s only going to come out on top. Up the Gaz."
Wright's punditry colleague Alan Shearer later confirmed that he would also not be appearing on the programme, while presenter Alex Scott has ruled out the possibility of replacing Lineker.
The posts came after a BBC spokesperson 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.”
Responding to his axing, Lineker told Channel 5: "They've told me I have to step back."
Manchester United legend Gary Neville also hit out at the decision, writing: "When you take on the Tories and the system! Awful people who we need gone."
Neville also paid tribute to Wright for taking his stance, writing in response to the former striker's tweet: "You’re more than good!" He added: "I had no doubt Ian Wright would do that! Who the hell is going to go on now!"
The Mirror has launched a petition to have Gary Lineker reinstated at the BBC and as the host of Match of the Day. Sign it here.
Alan Shearer has also pulled out of his punditry duties with the programme. Confirming the news on Twitter, he wrote: "I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night."
The Labour Party added their own condemnation of the BBC, with a spokesperson saying: “The BBC’s cowardly decision to take Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure. Tory politicians lobbying to get people sacked for disagreeing with Government policies should be laughed at, not pandered to. The BBC should rethink.”
The Mirror has launched a petition to have Gary Lineker reinstated at the BBC and as the host of Match of the Day. Sign it here.
