12-03-2023, 12:37 AM
This is the Belgian VRT's take on it (a country where BBC One is very widely available):
(Translated using DeepL)
Quote:Premier League fans were served a special episode of Match of the Day on Saturday night. Following the fuss surrounding presenter Gary Lineker, TV viewers were shown an abbreviated broadcast featuring only soccer footage, nothing more.
Match of the Day and Gary Lineker are household names in soccer coverage, but earlier this week the former England international found himself in the eye of the storm after a critical tweet about the British government's migration plan.
That tweet shot a lot of politicians the wrong way and forced the British public broadcaster into action. The BBC announced that Lineker will no longer present the popular soccer talk show.
Experienced analysts such as Ian Wright and Alan Shearer backed Lineker and soccer commentators also informed the BBC that they had no desire to work on the program.
That led to an extremely bizarre episode of Match of the Day on Saturday night: no presenters, no analysts, even the iconic opening tune was scrapped. The viewer was shown only soccer, with no commentary.
What the future of Match of the Day looks like is unknown for now. The BBC announced earlier this week that it is working on a solution.
(Translated using DeepL)