Gary Lineker reflects on ‘hugely gratifying’ support before BBC return

Gary Lineker said as he returns to TV screens to present live coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester City and Burnley that his support from colleagues has been “hugely gratifying” and “quite beautiful”.

Saturday will mark the 62-year-old broadcaster’s first appearance on the BBC since he was told to step back from hosting Match Of The Day (MOTD) in a row over impartiality.

Lineker was taken off air last week for a tweet comparing the language used to launch a new UK government asylum seeker policy with 1930s Germany.

When asked by LaLiga Sports TV about how his week has been on Friday, the former England striker said: “Really quiet. Nothing much going on. You could say it’s been an interesting week but I’m still here, still punching.

“It was interesting and also hugely gratifying, I had an amazing amount of support from my friends and colleagues which was quite beautiful actually.

“It was totally disproportionate the whole thing but we’re OK. It’s resolved, I’m relieved, I’m back to work tomorrow and all is well with the world.”

He will present live BBC coverage, with analysis from Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, on Saturday afternoon while Mark Chapman is due to host the Match Of The Day highlights show later on Saturday night.

Many of Lineker’s BBC Sport colleagues walked out in “solidarity” last weekend, with highlight shows significantly shorter than usual and aired without presentation or commentary.

MOTD aired for only 20 minutes last Saturday without accompanying commentary or analysis from presenters, with Sunday’s edition following a similar format and running for just 15 minutes.

BBC director-general Tim Davie said in a statement the corporation has commissioned an independent review of its