"Common sense prevails", "Man of Match of the Day" - Fans rally behind Gary Lineker as he announces he will return to BBC after suspension

UK football fans have rejoiced after Gary Lineker announced that he would be returning to Match of the Day on Saturday (March 18). The Tottenham Hotspur legend was taken off the air by the BBC after comparing the UK government's migration policy to 1930s Germany.

He sent out a tweet confirming that he would be making his return to Match of the Day:

"After a surreal few days, I’m delighted that we have navigated a way through this. I want to thank you all for the incredible support, particularly my colleagues at BBC Sport, for the remarkable show of solidarity. Football is a team game but their backing was overwhelming."

Lineker was joined by his MOTD colleagues Ian Wright and Alan Shearer in not appearing on last Saturday's program. The latter two Premier League icons refused to work, as did many pundits, commentators and other BBC staff members. They all decided to stand by the TV presenter.

Gary Lineker has presented Match of the Day since 1999. He replaced Des Lynam in the role and has become synonymous with UK football ever since. Last Saturday's MOTD aired with no theme music, no commentary and no match analysis. It was telling of the influence the former Spurs striker has on the BBC's football coverage.

Fans are delighted that Lineker will be returning for this Saturday's program. One fan thinks common sense has prevailed:

"Common sense prevails, took long enough."

UK rapper Wretch 32 dubbed Lineker the Man of the Match of the Day:

"Man of the match of the day."

Here's how fans on Twitter celebrated Lineker's return to the BBC program:

---

BBC Director-General issues apology regarding taking Gary Lineker off Match of the Day last weekend

Football fans all stood firmly in Gary Lineker's corner.

The BBC's decision to take Gary Lineker off the air caused major debate among the UK population. Many opined that the presenter should be allowed to give his opinion on such matters as migration as he is a sports broadcaster. The Tottenham icon is not involved in politics.

BBC Director-General Tim Davie has issued an apology to the UK public for the debacle regarding Lineker's absence from MOTD. He said (via Football Daily):

“Impartiality is important to the BBC. It is also important to the public. The BBC has a commitment to impartiality in its Charter and a commitment to freedom of expression.”

The BBC has announced that it will review its social media usage guidelines. They have also issued Lineker a direct apology, per Sky News.