In a controversial and watershed moment for the BBC, Match of the Day is set to go ahead without any presenters for the first time ever as pundits boycott the show in solidarity with Gary Lineker.
Gary Lineker was asked to take a step back from presenting the historic and hugely popular football analysis show after the BBC had a ‘frank’ discussion with him following a number of his tweets which criticised the Home Office’s new asylum plans on social media.
Having been part of the programme for more than 30 years either as a pundit or as lead anchor, a position which he has held since 1999, Lineker‘s suspension from the show has upset and troubled many, including the majority of his regular colleagues.
Reacting to the news that their friend and peer would not be presenting Saturday’s show, former footballer and regular co-host Ian Wright was the first to inform the BBC that he wouldn’t be appearing as a pundit either.
Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity.
And he was by no means the last, as not long after, fellow Match of the Day veteran, not to mention part of the usual and iconic Saturday night trio, Alan Shearer also informed the corporation and his followers on social media that he would not be appearing either.
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Moreover, another MotD regular, Jermaine Jenas, reinforced the message of solidarity on Twitter: “Been on air with The One Show. I wasn’t down to be doing Match of the Day tomorrow, but if I was I would of said no and stood with my fellow pundits and Gary Lineker”.
The same goes for former Manchester City star turned pundit, Micah Richards, who insisted that were he scheduled to appear, he would have made the same decision to boycott.
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I have informed the BBC that I won’t be appearing on MOTD tomorrow night.
This comes after Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was “disappointed” by Lineker’s remarks after he stated that the government’s targeting of migrants and refugees is “immeasurably cruel” and that their continued choice of language was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”.
As a result, BBC stressed their impartiality guidelines and while several took issue with Lineker sharing his political opinions on his Twitter profile, it seems plenty more have come out to defend him for speaking out against the Conservative government and say that his punishment is cause for concern.
With most of the regular punditry team having come out to assure that they would not be presenting after Lineker was stripped as host, the question then turned to who else could appear, and many quickly jumped to BBC’s Football Focus host, Alex Scott. She quickly put a stop to that talk.
The 62-year-old had already issued a statement saying he had “never known such love and support in [his] life” following the initial wave of people showing their solidarity with the ex-England international.
However, after learning that Wright, Shearer, Jenas; Scott and Richards had all bowed out of appearing too, Lineker is said to have been left ‘in tears’ as he broke down in overwhelming emotion following the unified response from media personnel and fans alike.
As for the BBC, they have said MotD will go ahead without presenters for the first time since 1964 and focus simply on video highlights of the action from this weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures. Meanwhile, viewing figures are expected to plummet as the BBC and the government face revolt for trying to censor opposition, free speech and any form of criticism — even if the information is accurate.
A thought provoking thread that’s worth a couple of minutes of your time: https://t.co/NckBd2wEIe
was factually accurate. 1. UK has fewer refugees than other European countries. FACT. 2. Language in the debate is redolent of the language used by politicians and media in 30s Germany. FACT. The role of the media is to seek out truth. Facts are quite important to that 2/3
Labour: “The BBC’s cowardly decision to take Gary Lineker off air is an assault on free speech in the face of political pressure. Tory politicians lobbying to get people sacked for disagreeing with Government policies should be laughed at, not pandered to. BBC should rethink.”
‘No suspicious circumstances’ ruled as body found in search for missing Manchester man Adeo Alston-Ekpei
Emily Sergeant
A body has now been found in the search for missing Manchester man, Adeo Alston-Ekpei.
The 25-year-old was last seen in Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury at around 3pm on Friday 16 May, before later being seen walking down Kingsway away from Manchester and close to the River Mersey, at around 5.20pm that same day.
Multiple lines of enquiry were being explored by police, and some CCTV footage of his last-known movements was released to the public earlier this month.
At the time of the CCTV footage being released, a spokesperson for Adeo’s family described the missing man as ‘kind, funny, and intelligent’ with a ‘huge heart’, but they say he ‘wasn’t himself when he disappeared’.
A body has now been found in the search for missing Manchester man, Adeo Alston-Ekpei / Credit: GMP / Family Handout
“He may have come across as agitated, lost, or confused,” the spokesperson admitted. “In his last call to his mum, he was in a very vulnerable state.”
Now, after over a month of dedicated searches by all involved, detectives at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have confirmed they recovered a body on Schools Hill in Cheadle last week.
Whilst formal identification is still to take place, the body is believed to be that of Adeo.
#UPDATE | Detectives searching for Adeo Alston-Ekpei, 25, who was last seen in Didsbury on Friday 16 May, have recovered a body on Schools Hill, Cheadle.
There are no suspicious circumstances and his family are being supported.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 21, 2025
Police say Adeo’s family have been informed of this development, and continue to be supported through this extremely difficult time.
“We would like to thank everyone who has shared our appeals and passed their well wishes onto Adeo’s loved ones throughout this extensive search,” GMP said in a formal statement. “We would now ask that the family be allowed privacy.”
It was also confirmed that there appears to be ‘no suspicious circumstances’ surrounding Adeo’s death, and a file will now be passed to the coroner.
Featured Image – GMP
News
Four rare African ducklings have been hatched at Chester Zoo for the very first time
Danny Jones
More conversation celebration down the road at Chester Zoo, as the award-winning wildlife park has welcomed four African ducklings who belong to a rare breed.
As is so often the case with the work they do all year-round, their arrival could help signal the species’ survival in the long run, whose status was sadly upgraded from vulnerable to endangered on the official IUCN Red List.
The particular type of fowl we’re referring to is the Maccao duck, a stiff-tailed bird that typically belongs to the fresh and brackish inland waters of Eastern and Southern Africa.
Medium-sized, chunky, with big bills and subtle striping around their heads, they’re gorgeous creatures as is, but especially so as ducklings…
If you didn’t say ‘awww’ out loud, then you’re just lying.
As the Zoo itself put it, they are “rare, fluffy and VERY cute.” Celebrating what is “a breeding breakthrough for one of Africa’s rarest ducks […] so these little guys are kind of a big deal.”
These little delightful little duckies are known for diving down to the bottom of lakes and riverbeds to forage for aquatic invertebrates and plants; in fact, given the choice, they tend to prefer going underwater over flying pretty much full-stop.
As a resident species that doesn’t migrate like many other birds, they are native to nations like Namibia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. They’re identifiable by their dark black heads, blue bills (among the males, at least) and presence within the wetlands.
However, their estimated numbers continue to drop, and unfortunately, just 14 of their kind currently remain in Kenya and only 100 in Tanzania, with fewer than 5,000 believed to be left across the entire African continent.
Not only is this the first time the species has ever been successfully bred by bird experts at Chester Zoo, but conservationists hope ducklings will put a spotlight on the threatened species.
Their scientific name is ‘Oxyura maccoa’.Just like human babies, they prone to stuff all over their face.As far as ducklings go, these adorable little African variants are pretty special. (Credit: Supplied)
The zoo’s Head of Birds, Andrew Owen, said of their birth: “As one of just seven zoos in Europe – and 12 zoos globally – that care for Maccoa ducks, these ducklings are very special as they’re the first of their kind to ever hatch here at the zoo – making it a really historic moment for our team,
“This success gives a real boost to the future of the species, and these vital new additions will contribute to the safety-net population in zoos. These birds are facing rapid decline in the wild, so every hatchling really does count.
“To see them now out on the water inside our new Heart of Africa habitat, which is dedicated to helping Africa’s most threatened species thrive, makes this milestone even more special.”
Nothing short of brilliant news, we’re sure you’ll agree; better still, in addition to the crucially charitable and conversation-based tourist attraction being named one of England’s most popular destinations once again, but these are the only rare birds welcome by the zookeepers this month.
Danny Jones -
11th March 2023 
