Gary Lineker pulls out of Match of the Day Live
The host has cancelled his appearance on the show due to illness.
Gary Lineker won't be presenting Match of the Day Live's coverage of the FA Cup this afternoon due to illness.
BBC Sport announced the news via Twitter, writing that Alex Scott will be filling in for him.
"As viewers will have noticed yesterday, Gary Lineker was struggling with his voice and unfortunately it had deteriorated overnight," the BBC said in a tweet.
Lineker returned to Match of the Day yesterday for the first time since being temporarily taken off air by the BBC over tweets criticising Home Secretary Suella Braverman's new immigration policy.
The BBC temporarily removed Lineker from the show after considering his tweet a breach of its impartiality guidelines, however he was reinstated earlier this week, taking to Twitter to thank his followers and colleagues for their support.
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He reiterated his pride at working for the "best and fairest broadcaster in the world", adding that despite the "difficult" last few days, "it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away".
He presented the BBC's coverage of Manchester City v Burnley yesterday alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, with Shearer addressing his "difficult" absence on air.
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"It was a really difficult situation for everyone concerned and through no fault of their own, some really great people in TV and in radio were put in an impossible situation and that wasn’t fair," he said.
On Monday 13th March, the BBC director-general Tim Davie issued an apology for the "difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audience" during Lineker's suspension before reinstating the presenter.
The 62-year-old has hosted Match of the Day since 1999, taking over from Des Lynam and becoming the presenter with the longest-ever tenure on the show.
Match of the Day Live airs at 1:50pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. If you’re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide, or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news.
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