Gary Lineker to miss out on FA coverage after losing voice

He had returned to BBC football shows on Saturday, having been taken off air following an impartiality row with the BBC.

The BBC has stated that Alex Scott will step in for Lineker for the coverage of Brighton & Hove Albion vs Grimsby Town in the afternoon.

BBC News reports that Lineker could be heard struggling with his voice on Saturday's live coverage of Manchester City v Burnley, and it deteriorated overnight.

Gary Lineker had been reinstated on the BBC for this weekend (Image: PA)

What did Gary Lineker's impartiality row concern?

Lineker had got into trouble with the BBC following comments he had made on Twitter concerning the Government's new Illegal Migration Bill.

On Tuesday, March 7 he commented on a Twitter video put out by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, in which she unveiled government plans to stop migrant boats crossing the Channel.

“Good heavens, this is beyond awful,” he wrote.

Responding to the sports broadcaster, another Twitter user described his comment as “out of order”, adding that it was “easy to pontificate when it doesn’t affect you”.

Lineker responded: “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, and I’m out of order?”

This saw backlash from Tory MPs and in the end the BBC decided to have Lineker step back from presenting Match of the Day that weekend.

In response dozens of sports presenters, pundits, commentators and staff decided to boycott the shows in solidarity with Lineker.

This resulted in a shortened Match of the Day programme with no commentary, analysis or theme tune.

On Monday (March 13) the BBC said it would hold an independent review of its social media guidelines, particularly for freelancers like Lineker.

But they said the 62-year-old could return in the meantime.