Former football players Alan Shearer and Ian Wright made a comeback to their punditry roles on Premier League coverage of Fulham vs Arsenal after they boycotted the BBC’s Match of the Day program on Saturday, March 11. The boycott was in response to the BBC’s decision to suspend Gary Lineker for his criticism of the UK government’s new asylum policy.
Boycott of Match of the Day
Lineker was made to ‘step away’ from his duties at Match of the Day over a series of tweets regarding the government’s new asylum policy.
Wright was the first to withdraw his services, confirming he would not participate in Saturday’s edition of the football highlights show. Shearer joined him, and the 20-minute program was aired without punditry or commentary.
Return to punditry
Shearer and Wright were back on Sunday, providing punditry and analysis for Premier League TV during the three league games that kicked off at 2 pm.
The duo watched as Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal claimed a routine 3-0 victory over Fulham, which is set to be shown without commentary on Match of the Day 2 later that evening.
Premier League coverage
Shearer and Wright provided insight for Arsenal’s match against Fulham, Manchester United’s clash with Southampton, and West Ham’s home fixture against Aston Villa alongside presenter Jules Breach.
Premier League all-time top scorer Shearer shared a picture of himself with Wright and Breach ahead of their return to screens. While Shearer and Wright made their punditry comeback, Lineker remained absent. He was, however, pictured attending Leicester’s 3-1 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
The football world was left divided when the BBC suspended Lineker. Nevertheless, the incident showcased the power and influence that football personalities hold in the world of politics.
Despite the controversy, the Premier League TV audience was pleased to have the iconic duo back in their punditry roles, providing their insights and analysis during the three league games on Sunday.
