T
he daughter of a Jewish refugee, who came to the UK from Hungary in the 1930s, has delivered a letter to Gary Lineker’s home – thanking him for his stance on immigration policy.
Susie Courtalt, 75, said she was thanking the 62-year-old former England footballer for “speaking up for all the people who can’t voice an opinion”.
Lineker was told to step back from hosting Saturday’s Match Of The Day after he compared the language used to launch a new Government asylum seeker policy with 1930s Germany in a tweet.
She told the PA news agency: “I used to live in Barnes and have come up from Brighton to see a play, so I thought I would come and put a letter through the door.
“I just feel he is speaking up for all the people who can’t voice an opinion, including British people.
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“My father was very fortunate to leave Hungary in the 1930s where the language was becoming like it is here. My father was 18 and my uncle was 20.
“For the Government, he (Lineker) is someone they want to destroy.”
Earlier, the BBC director-general apologised for the disruption caused to the broadcaster’s sports programming, but confirmed he will not resign over the Lineker impartiality row.
Speaking to BBC News on Saturday, Tim Davie praised Lineker as “the best in the business” and said he wants to find a “reasonable solution” to get him back on air.
The corporation’s football coverage was sharply disrupted on Saturday as several presenters and reporters withdrew in solidarity with Lineker, with neither Football Focus nor Final Score airing – while 5 Live’s radio coverage was radically altered throughout the day.
