BBC presenter and former England footballer Gary Lineker will return as host of Match of the Day after reaching an agreement with the corporation over his use of social media. Lineker, 62, was removed from presenting duties over the weekend following a dispute with BBC chiefs over a series of tweets he posted comparing the language used in the UK government's asylum policy to the 1930s German government led by the Nazis. 

But he will now return after agreeing to adhere to the BBC's current social media guidelines while the broadcaster conducts an internal review into its current policy. 

In a statement released on his personal Twitter account, Lineker said he was "delighted" to return and thanked his fellow pundits, who refused to work in his absence, and the general public for their continued support. 

In a separate tweet he also acknowledged the understanding of BBC Director General, Tim Davie: "He has an almost impossible job keeping everybody happy, particularly in the area of impartiality. I am delighted that we'll continue to fight the good fight, together."

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Davie released his own statement, which read: "Everyone recognises this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences. I apologize for this.

"The potential confusion caused by the grey areas of the BBC's social media guidance that was introduced in 2020 is recognized. I want to get matters resolved and our sport content back on air."

The BBC says an unnamed independent expert will be in charge of reviewing its social media guidelines or outlined a date for its completion, but says it will have a particular focus on social media use by freelancers outside of news and current affairs. 

Lineker is a freelancer with the corporation and hosts sports programs for other TV channels in the UK and abroad.

Who is Gary Lineker?

Lineker is a former England footballer and the country's fourth highest goalscorer of all time. He also had a successful club career, playing for Barcelona, Everton, Leicester and Tottenham before hanging up his boots in 1994. 

Since retiring, Lineker has carved out a career as a respected presenter and is best known for hosting the BBC's flagship Match of the Day football programme since 1999 and also co-hosted the UK broadcaster's Olympics coverage since 2012. 

He also hosts sports shows for a number of other broadcasters including BT Sport, Al Jazeera and NBC Sports network. 

Why did his tweets cause controversy?

Lineker's original tweet saw him comment on a video of UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman unveiling the government's plans to stop migrants crossing the Channel on small boats and saying the UK is being "overwhelmed."

He wrote: "There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the '30s."

The tweet sparked debate over what BBC presenters should and shouldn't be allowed to say regarding political issues in the public domain. The BBC said Lineker had breached its impartiality guidelines and removed him from Match of the Day presenting duties. 

In response a host of other sports pundits refused to work in a show of support for Lineker, which led to the broadcaster broadcasting its flagship sports show without presenters or pundits on Saturday night.

What are the BBC's rules on impartiality?

There are strict rules in place for the BBC's news and current affairs journalists, who are expected to use their social media accounts as extensions of the corporation's own social channels.

The BBC also has specific rules over the use of social media for all employees, including freelancers, including behaving professionally and not bringing the BBC into disrepute.

They also include the following advice for staff with public profiles: We expect these individuals to avoid taking sides on party political issues or political controversies and to take care when addressing public policy matters."

Lineker signed a five-year contract with the BBC in 2020 in which he agreed to abide by these guidelines - but the BBC acknowledges that there are "grey areas" within its current guidelines for people who aren't full-time BBC employees.

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