BBC boss insists he won’t resign as sport coverage descends into chaos
BBC director general Tim Davie has said he will not be stepping down because of the Gary Lineker series.
Speaking to the BBC in Washington DC, Mr Davie was asked if he would step down as “there are a lot of people in the UK who just don’t trust you”.
“Absolutely not,” he said.
“I think my job is to serve royalty payers and to deliver a BBC that’s really focused on first class, impartial, groundbreaking results and I look forward to us resolving this situation and I look forward to delivering that.” .”
It comes as the broadcaster confirmed tonight’s Match of the Day would last just 20 minutes after an exodus of presenters and commentators left the BBC with just a skeleton programme.
The channel was forced to air an abridged show with no commentary, analysis or post-game interviews after an on-screen talent staged a boycott and the players refused to do interviews in solidarity with Gary Lineker.
There are also questions about Sunday’s Match of the Day 2 after presenter Mark Chapman withdrew.
It is understood the BBC is contractually obliged to show Premier League highlights, while rivals such as BT Sport and Sky are not allowed to air highlight shows.
Football Focus and Final Score were dropped from BBC One’s programming today after Alex Scott, Kelly Somers and Jason Mohammad all refused to appear and reporters also withdrew, with the flagship shows replaced by Bargain Hunt and The Repair Shop respectively .
BBC Radio 5 Live’s sports schedule also collapsed, with the advertised five hours of live football commentary from midday being hastily and within minutes replaced by a series of old podcasts, suspending Premier League coverage.
The BBC was forced to apologize to fans for the widespread cancellations.
‘We’re sorry’
A BBC spokesman said: “The BBC will only be able to offer limited sports programming this weekend and our timetables are being updated to reflect this.
“We regret these changes which we recognize will be disappointing for BBC sports fans. We are working hard to resolve the situation and hope to be able to do so soon.”
Hours of football coverage was scrapped this weekend after nearly all of BBC Sport’s leading names staged a “solidarity” boycott with Lineker, who was ordered to withdraw from the Match of the Day (MOTD) for comparing the government’s migration policies to Nazis had Germany.
As the toxic fallout from the BBC’s decision to force Lineker off the air spreads, Telegraph Sport understands that Match of the Day 2 is also at risk of not being broadcast on Sunday night.
Mark Chapman, its presenter, has told the BBC he will not be hosting the show. The MOTD on Saturday evening is to be broadcast without presenters or experts.
In a day of chaos on Saturday, BBC Radio 5 Live’s schedule collapsed, with the advertised five hours of live football commentary from midday being hastily and within minutes replaced by a series of old podcasts, suspending Premier League coverage.
Fighting Talk host Colin Murray withdrew and some commentators refused to work.
‘S—Storm’
Football Focus and Final Score were also dropped from BBC One’s programming after Alex Scott, Kelly Somers and Jason Mohammad refused to appear and reporters also withdrew, with the flagship shows replaced by Bargain Hunt and The Repair Shop respectively .
A backlash to the BBC’s decision, which came after a week of mounting pressure from Tory MPs, also mounted, led by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who described the row as a “storm”.
Meanwhile, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey was calling for the resignation of Richard Sharp, the BBC’s leader, who was recently embroiled in a cousin dispute over claims he had helped Boris Johnson get an £800,000 loan facility to secure what he refused.
And Sir Keir Starmer, the Labor leader, claimed “the BBC is not acting impartially in giving way to Tory MPs”.
Lineker has remained silent since Friday’s decision but was seen laughing and taking selfies with fans as he watched his team Leicester City play Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, with some holding up banners in the stands in support of him.
The BBC has said Lineker will remain off the air until they reach an “consensual and clear position” on his use of social media.
The former head of editorial policy at the BBC denied on Saturday it was hypocritical not to discipline Sharp, while Greg Dyke, the former BBC chief executive, claimed the broadcaster had “undermined its own credibility” over the Lineker series.
Meanwhile, the Professional Footballers’ Association said Premier League footballers “will not be asked to attend Match of the Day interviews” on Saturday.