Damon Hill

F1 champion Damon Hill wades into Gary Lineker Match of the Day spat

Ewan Gale Saturday 11 March 2023 13:08 Updated: 16:53

Former F1 champion and Sky Sports F1 pundit Damon Hill has described the Match of the Day spat between the BBC and Gary Lineker as "all a bit silly".

Lineker was removed as host of the weekly football highlights show on Friday after a tweet likening the UK government's language surrounding immigration policy to that used by Germany in the 1930s.

The former England striker landed himself in hot water over breaching the BBC's stringent impartiality rules.

But those rules have come under fire following the revelation that BBC chairman Richard Sharp helped former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson secure an £800,000 loan.

After Match of the Day was rocked by pundits and commentators pulling out of the broadcast, followed by other staples of the BBC's football offering on a Saturday, 1996 F1 champion Hill waded into the debate on Twitter.

"On Lineker, don't necessarily agree with him, but he was hired because of who he was/is and has a right to free expression.

"We can separate his personal views from his professional work. We are not the eejits they clearly take us for. All a bit silly

"In a way Lineker the Tweeter is a different person. The medium is the message? Ah, whatever."

In a way Lineker the Tweeter is a different person. The medium is the message? Ah, whatever. #Lineker #BBC #MOTD
— Damon Hill (@HillF1) March 11, 2023

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F1 champion Damon Hill wades into Gary Lineker Match of the Day spat

F1 champion Damon Hill wades into Gary Lineker Match of the Day spat