Gary Lineker ensures uncertain Match of the Day future in ultimate reflection of society

for a program that should always be about the goals, game of the day has now become about something else entirely – not least the future of the programme, the BBC, impartiality in journalism and the very role of football in politics.

News of Gary Lineker’s departure was quickly followed by Ian Wright and then Alan Shearer, who announced they would not be available this Saturday in solidarity. The dike is broken. Something had to give way, especially with the politicization of the sport.

This is a new era that the BBC and its flagship football program need to adapt to and give some serious thought to.

There is great irony in the fact that this entire episode could have initially been construed as a case of football to distract the masses in the way the sport is consistently criticized. A story that began with a nefarious immigration law cynically (and typically) used by the Conservative government to divert attention from the fact that the country is falling apart somehow grew into a mass discussion over a football broadcaster tweet. It was remarkable and seemed to be yet another example of a country losing perspective…until now.

As has become more common in the game lately, its truly national role not only reflects society, but is now forcing the country to take a fresh look at itself – most notably the national broadcaster’s approach to reporting.

Thus, far from being a distraction, the game has always been a vehicle for political self-expression.

It is perhaps fitting, if not downright inevitable, that it is Lineker who provoked this altercation. That’s because long before Twitter, he was a broadcaster willing to tackle bigger issues. He helped usher in a new era in broadcasting and to his credit he is arguably better known for that than for being one of England’s greatest strikers. His approach was enthusiastically embraced by Wright, who was one of the great proponents of the idea of ​​using football for the greater good.

This is a world where a modern day footballer like Marcus Rashford could prove to be one of the government’s biggest problems.

And yet it is territory on which game of the day and other related programs are struggling to gain a foothold.

There is of course side debate over the exact wording of Lineker’s tweet and whether freelance contractors should be subject to the same policies as employees — not to mention debate over the nature of those policies; but that’s what they are: side discussions.

Now it’s about something much bigger – and, as far as football is concerned, the role of its flagship programme.

That mark – one of the strongest in sport – has now been shattered by the most myopic approach. Another irony is that, however politicized the sport and some of its major networks may have become, game of the day has generally tried to avoid this.

We are in a new world of football where nation states with troubled human rights records are using and taking over the sport, and far from any scrutiny this is being celebrated.

The problem is that these things cannot last indefinitely. At some point there has to be a break. That’s what happened here with Lineker, and now more broadly with game of the day. A short-sighted and compromised solution that never fully fitted and was never grounded in reality eventually failed.

It’s not for the benefit game of the day, not for the benefit of the BBC and certainly not for the benefit of the football fan or casual viewer. It’s like trying to avoid reality and truth instead of confronting it.

That’s where we are now with this Lineker story, and it lets reality look to the future game of the day – and virtually all of the BBC’s football production – very uncertain.

A figure as influential as Wright, stepping down in solidarity will continue to make waves. What will it look like for each moderator who agrees to step forward? game of the day this weekend? How can the program credibly discuss something? Is pulled? It changed the nature of the program.

This is also a question of trust. This is where the game takes place in 2023. It is inherently political and has provoked a history that goes well beyond football – but more importantly could change the way we look at it.