Boxing promoter Frank Warren has slammed Gary Lineker’s views on immigration in a furious rant.
Lineker was suspended from Match of the Day three days after he posted a string of anti-Tory tweets on March 7, 2023.
The former England football captain called the government’s migrant crackdown ‘immeasurably cruel’ and likened it to Nazi Germany, which critics said breached the Beeb’s strict impartiality rules.
Lineker, who is the BBC’s highest paid star with earnings of £1.35million a year, later returned to his role after colleagues boycotted the flagship show in his honour.
Warren, 72, has now lambasted Lineker’s decision to outspokenly criticise the policy and insisted ‘the floodgates have opened’.
Boxing promoter Frank Warren has slammed Gary Lineker’s views on immigration in a rant
Lineker called the government’s migrant crackdown ‘immeasurably cruel’ and likened it to Nazi Germany last year
The Londoner said speaking to the Telegraph: ‘I don’t think you should have to be ashamed about being British.
‘But if you’re a white guy, over 50 years of age, you’re starting to be treated as an outsider, as if you don’t matter.’
Asked whether he feels like an outsider, Warren responded: ‘Not particularly. I’m lucky. I’m in a business where people want free tickets.
‘But I do see the issue elsewhere, and I don’t think it’s right.
‘I didn’t agree with Gary Lineker last year when he put out that tweet about the Conservatives’ asylum policy, saying it was similar to 1930s Germany.
Warren, 72, has lambasted the presenter’s decision to outspokenly criticise the policy
‘Seriously, what the f*** are you talking about? Nazi Germany? We’re allowing people in, not taking their property off them.
‘We’re a welcoming country. But we should be welcoming legal immigrants, making them go through the process.
‘This illegal dimension is changing the dynamics around schools, housing, hospitals. It’s totally unacceptable.’
Meanwhile, Lineker was today spotted catching a train ahead of tonight’s Match of the Day following rumours it will be his final appearance on the BBC flagship football show.
Earlier this week, MailOnline revealed how an email had been circulated appearing to suggest that bosses are drawing up a statement to be released announcing his departure after 25 years on the show.
The message purports to be from the broadcaster’s director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, and features a statement announcing the former England striker’s withdrawal from presenting the iconic show.
Lineker has been the subject of speculation over his future with the BBC for months
It has not been possible to verify the authenticity of the email and the BBC insists that he remains contracted until the end of the season.
When MailOnline approached the BBC we were told: ‘We have nothing to announce, and we have not agreed next steps with regard to his contract. He is on contract until the end of the season.’