Mark Thompson

An ex-BBC director general has Said Gary Lineker 's Tweet that criticised the government over its new asylum policy appeared to be a " technical breach" of impartiality rules.

But ex-DG Mark Thompson Told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that Lineker's status as a sports presenter meant The Row was a " grey area".

The Bbc must " strike The Balance " when enforcing The Rules , he added.

Sunday's football coverage is expected to be affected by more staff absences.

Bbc News understands that BBC2's planned coverage of The Women 's Super League clash between Chelsea and Manchester United will go ahead without pre-match presentation.

Match of The Day 2 will follow the main programme's much-reduced format. On Saturday, Match of The Day was reduced to 20 Minutes without presenters, pundits, or commentary.

Viewing figures were up by almost half A Million to 2. 58m.

Mr Thompson - who served as BBC director general between 2004 and 2012 - Said that while rules around political opinions were clear for those working in The Bbc 's news division, they were more complex for freelancers and those working in sport.

" I think what The Bbc has walked into is the 21St Century , " Mr Thompson Told the programme.

" New behaviours, new public attitudes, new understandable attitudes from individuals - for example a freelancer like Gary Lineker - therefore there is a need to think carefully about where to strike The Balance . "

And he urged The Bbc " to calm down, ignore the papers, " to chart a course forward for both the organisation and Lineker and to avoid " shooting from the hip" in a bid to resolve The Row .

Peter Salmon , who was The Corporation 's head of sport under Mr Thompson , Said The Bbc 's impartiality guidelines were " opaque" and urged bosses to " get this sorted out".

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt - who earlier Said he " profoundly" disagreed with Lineker's Tweet - Told the programme that he thought " making sure The Bbc maintains its reputation for independence and impartiality is the outcome that matters most".

And he defended The Right of some of his colleagues in the Conservative Party to criticise the presenter, telling the programme that the UK is a " robust democracy, and if someone says something you disagree with MPs do what they cant do in Russia or China, they speak up".

On Saturday Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Said resolving The Row was a matter for The Bbc , but Downing Street and several senior ministers have been critical in recent days.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer have both attacked the presenter for implying a comparison between the government's language and Nazi Germany .

Ms Braverman Said the " Germany in the 1930s" comparison used by Lineker was " lazy and unhelpful".

Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to swirl as to whether Linker will return to The Bbc .

In the Sunday Mirror , Lineker's son, George, is quoted as saying he thought his father would return to presenting Match of The Day , and director general Tim Davie Said on Saturday his goal was to get " Gary back on air".

The Row erupted after Lineker was suspended for criticising the government's language over its controversial new asylum policy.

Commenting on The Illegal Migration Bill on Tuesday, Lineker called it an " immeasurably cruel policy directed at The Most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".

Lineker's suspension on Friday triggered a wider debate about BBC impartiality, the government's asylum policy and the

It also led to an unprecedented day of turmoil for The Bbc 's sport operation, with staff including some of The Most recognisable faces and voices choosing not to work.

Mr Davie apologised to licence fee payers for The Chaos and admitted it had been a " difficult day" for The Corporation but Said " We Are working very hard to resolve the situation".

Source of news: bbc.com