The BBC can’t afford to lose this stand-off

GENERATIONS of football managers have reminded players that no matter how brilliant they are on the pitch no one is bigger than the team.

This is a message that should equally apply to Gary Lineker in his role with the BBC. His years as Match of the Day presenter have brought him fantastic wealth and ensured he remains a prominent figure in British life.

But with privilege comes a responsibility to uphold the values of impartiality that govern the licence fee-funded broadcaster which has given him such a huge platform.

We fully support Mr Lineker’s right to express his opinions freely within the broadcaster’s impartiality rules. But the £1.35million-a-year presenter, famed for keeping a cool head as an England footballer, ignited an inferno of controversy with his inflammatory social media post about the small boats crackdown.

He accused the Government of pursuing an “immeasurably cruel” policy and condemned “language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”.

The challenge of how the UK responds to the global migration crisis while tackling illegal entry to the UK is worthy of robust debate.

Mr Lineker is undoubtedly a popular figure among the millions who tune in every week – but the Government’s bid to halt the tide of cross-channel migrants is equally popular.

He must have known that his comparisons with pre-second World War would trigger uproar – and a nightmare for the BBC.

As recently as September, its director-general Tim Davie assured MPS he had spoken to the presenter and there had been a “massive improvement” in terms of his “entry into party politics”. Mr Lineker’s determination to face down his employers will have been bolstered by yesterday’s walkout in solidarity by fellow sports presenters.

But this is a stand-off the BBC cannot afford to lose if it is to maintain its claim to being politically neutral.