G
ary Lineker did breach BBC guidelines when he tweeted about migration policy, a former director general of the corporation has said.
Lineker was told to step back from presenting Match of the Day after comparing the government’s plans for Channel migrants to measures taken by Nazi Germany.
The move sparked huge backlash on Friday and Saturday with pundits, players and managers boycotting the BBC.
Match of the Day was pared back from 80 minutes to 20, while Football Focus and Final Score were removed from the schedule.
Mark Thompson told Laura Kuenssberg that the issue comes down to whether presenters can insert themselves into topical and political matters.
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He quoted new BBC guidance which covers non-news presenters.
“I would say, on the face of it, it looks like a technical breach of the guideline,” Mr Thompson said.
