by The BBC is on the verge of capitulating to Gary Lineker today, with the star “increasingly confident”, any deal that would allow him to return to television would be “to his satisfaction”.
The 62-year-old footballer turned broadcaster is expected to meet with chief executive Tim Davie later, and the BBC boss is reportedly ready to relent and offer a “terrible fudge” to ensure he covers coverage of the FA Cup this weekend.
Lineker was not fooled by his future as he walked his dog in south-west London yesterday. But last night Sky News told sources close to Lineker saying they were “increasingly confident” the dispute would be resolved “to his satisfaction” within the next 24 hours.
It is a huge victory for the former England captain, the BBC’s highest-paid star, earning £1.35m a year, over the BBC, which earns £5.3bn a year, in a crisis sparked by his anti-Tory tweets.
In a row, Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 were shortened to short shows with no presenters, pundits, commentators or the famous theme tune. On-screen talent including former England strikers Alan Shearer and Ian Wright declined to appear in “solidarity” with Lineker. There was even a protest by Lineker supporters outside the BBC in Salford.
To end the argument, the BBC is expected to be forced to start reviewing its impartiality guidelines for independent presenters like Lineker, 62.
Lineker 1 – BBC 0: Gary, pictured yesterday walking his dog in south-west London, is said to be “increasingly confident” of a deal with his “satisfaction” offered by the BBC to get him back on TV
BBC CEO Tim Davie, pictured here in an interview with Nomia Iqbal yesterday, denied he would resign over the dispute. The prime minister refused to grant him a vote of confidence yesterday
The “ambiguities” in the presenter’s contract mean that the corporation fears that it cannot force him to comply with its rules, which prohibit employees from speaking on political topics. Lawyers are said to have advised the BBC that they could not release him without a multi-million pound payout.
Lineker may apologize and has reportedly agreed to be more careful with his tweets in the future in the face of a “terrible review” of social media guidelines, The Times reports.
Tim Davie’s future may be in doubt after being criticized for handling the case. Rishi Sunak would not be interested in keeping his trust in him or in BBC chairman Richard Sharp.
The BBC is currently scheduled to cover two of this weekend’s four FA Cup matches, including the long-awaited draw between Premier League side Brighton and killer giants Grimsby Town, but disruptions to football coverage since Friday have cast that in doubt.
According to reports, Mr Lineker is due to present one of these programs – not a highlights of the day program this weekend.
And in a sign of a thaw in the dispute, a BBC spokesperson said: “We are working hard on a solution and hope it comes back to us as soon as possible.”
A BBC source told the Telegraph that things were “progressing rapidly”, adding: “Tim Davie has made it clear he wants to resolve the situation and see the MOTD presenter back on the air.
“Gary and his representatives have been in talks for several days and they are ongoing.”
Protesters gather outside the BBC’s main sports studio in Salford to show support for Gary Lineker
Match of the day on Saturday was cut to just 20 minutes as presenters, staff and commentators refused to come to work to support Lineker
Lineker was first spotted in public yesterday after the match of the day aired without him the night before
Lineker, 62, was taken off the air by the organization’s bosses on Friday after criticizing the government’s illegal immigration law, sparking a strike among colleagues.
It comes after BBC boss Tim Davie returned from the US yesterday in an attempt to defuse a row that hit the corporation’s sports coverage this weekend.
“There is hope for a quick resolution, but not all issues are ‘fully resolved’ at this stage,” he told BBC News.
The source added: “Both sides are working on something to address the BBC’s concerns and get Gary back on the air. Things are going in the right direction.
Senior bosses at the BBC are said to be concerned they cannot sack the former England striker or force him to comply with a social media policy due to unclear terms in his contract.
Instead, senior officials believe they would be forced to pay millions if they were to fire Lineker and are likely to lose any legal claims he could later bring, The Independent reports.
Lineker is said to have a 24-month contract negotiated before Davie’s arrival.
And while Davie has repeatedly emphasized the importance of impartiality, Lineker’s contract has not been updated.
Meanwhile, presenters, pundits and commentators refused to appear in an act of solidarity, and last night’s Day 2 match aired without a presenter and only lasted 14 minutes. Apologies to viewers before the show.
The continuity announcer said: “Now on BBC One, we’re sorry we’re unable to show our normal Day 2 match, including commentary, but here’s the best action from tonight’s Premier League matches.”
Colleagues including Mark Chapman (pictured) refused to participate in Match of the Day and MOTD2 after Lineker’s suspension
It comes after Match of the Day and Radio 5 Live’s Fighting Talk were also severely curtailed on Saturday.
Sources have told Sky News that Lineker is increasingly confident that the dispute will be resolved “to his satisfaction” within the next 24 hours.
The presenter declined to apologize for his comments but was uncharacteristically candid this morning, telling reports he “couldn’t say anything” about the situation that threatened to engulf the BBC.
Last night, its CEO Davie apologized to viewers for the impact this had on scheduled shows, but denied he would be quitting and added that he wanted to get Lineker back on the air as soon as possible. It is believed he returned to base at Broadcasting House yesterday.
Davie was in Washington, US, when the brawl began late last week, and was probably back for crisis talks with one of the highest-paid employees.
On Friday night, he said: “We are working very hard to resolve the situation and make sure we get back on the air.”
“I don’t want to go into the details of the discussion. Gary Lineker is an excellent broadcaster, the best in the business, that is beyond question. He’s an outstanding presenter, and my success is Gary’s return to the air.
On Sunday, Lineker refused to answer questions from journalists and photographers outside his south-west London home, and the dispute over comments he made about the government’s anti-illegal immigration bill continues to swirl.
His appearance comes after he left presenting duties at MOTD last night, with the show severely cut down to 20 minutes with no analysis or commentary as pundits and commentators refused to appear in solidarity with him.
Uncertainty about the show was heightened yesterday after head presenter Mark Chapman was absent from his BBC radio duties and Jermain Defoe announced he had retired from appearing as pundit on the highlights programme.
Defoe tweeted: “It’s always a great privilege to work with BBC MOTD. But tomorrow I made the decision to resign from my expert functions.
The show’s commentators also left, with veteran mic Guy Mowbray tweeting: “Just like yesterday, there will be no ‘normal’ MOTD(2) show tonight. The scheduled team of commentators fully agrees with our colleagues at BBC Sport. We hope to find a solution as soon as possible.”
The Women’s Super League match was broadcast as scheduled on BBC1, but there was no pre-match or half-time coverage and the commentary was taken from world channel WSL rather than Beeb’s in-house audio team.
However, there was no such disruption on the channel during coverage of the Six Nations, and Gabby Logan anchored yesterday’s match between Scotland and Ireland as planned.
Before match commentary for the two Premier League matches scheduled for this afternoon began on Radio 5 Live, commentator Alistair Bruce-Ball said: “I want to reiterate what we said ahead of yesterday’s football coverage.
“I know you will all appreciate that this is a difficult time for BBC Sport and for everyone who works in the department and we hope that everything will be resolved as soon as possible.”
“It was a very difficult decision to make personally, I assure you it was not taken lightly, but I am a BBC employee, I am a radio commentator for this station and, like yesterday, we are here to provide our football services to you, our audience.
