Ian Wright says 'heads have got to roll' over the Gary Lineker row

Ian Wright has criticised how the BBC dealt with the Gary Lineker controversy and believes "heads have got to roll."

Last week, Lineker was suspended from his presenting Match of the Day due to an impartiality row with the broadcaster over his tweet that the government's controversial asylum policy on small boats was similar to language used in 1930's Germany.

The former Arsenal and England player supported his MOTD colleague alongside Alan Shearer by boycotting the programme which led to last week's show being reduced in length with no presenters or pundits.

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On his podcast Wrighty's House, the 59-year-old previously vowed to leave the BBC if the broadcaster decided to fire Lineker.

As the drama was playing out, he said: "If they do, the BBC get rid of Gary Lineker, I’m out. I’m gone, I’m not staying there."

Since then, Lineker and the BBC “navigated a way” through the disagreement for him to return as host.

Now, Wright has discussed the matter again on his podcast where he described how the BBC "made a hot mess," out of it.

"For me, they made a hot mess. I’m telling you, this is all from high up, I can’t blame my man [head of BBC TV Sport] Philip Bernie, the BBC Sports team. All of this is over a tweet," he said.

"At some stage surely, heads have got to roll… the mismanagement levels of this is, I can’t even tell you, but it’s done, everybody knows how I feel about it."

Wright added: "I’m just pleased that it’s kind of come to something."

Elsewhere, Lineker has called out a Tory MP for falsely claiming he called people "Nazis".

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