The BBC 'fear' they could have to pay out millions to Gary Lineker, if they decide to sack the Match of the Day presenter following his post criticising the government.
What a crazy 48 hours it's been, there hasn't been this much interest in Match of the Day since Lineker had to make good on a promise to strip down to his undies if his beloved Leicester City won the league.
On Friday, the presenter, who has been at the helm of the BBC's flagship highlights programme since 1999, was stood down from his role for the weekend.
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It was after calling the government out for their immigration policy, and specifically the language used, with plenty of fans pointing out the horrific double standard compared to anyone backing the government.
That caused a total loss of control by the Beeb as fellow presenters, pundits and commentators all decided to stand with the former Everton striker in solidarity, backing out of their weekend commitments across the broadcasters outlets.
Match of the Day aired with no commentary and lasted just 20 minutes, after the broadcaster realised it didn't have rights to the world feed commentary.
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Ian Wright has said he will quit if his good friend Lineker is sacked, but that might be unlikely to happen, due to the presenter's contract.
According to the Daily Mail, BBC bosses fear they could have to pay out millions to get rid of the 62-year-old because he signed his deal a while ago, and could pursue them for the money through the courts.
Director General Tim Davie, a former Conservative party member and council candidate, decided he wanted to bring in more 'impartiality' when he got the job.
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He brought in stricter rules for employees and freelancer staff, including on social media, but Lineker's contract was signed two years before Davie came into the role.
Davie has already said he refuses to step down from his role, despite it being his decision which has led to the near total destruction of the company's football coverage this weekend.
Football Focus and Final Score were also dropped by BBC One on Saturday, whilst Radio Five Live sports was replaced by reruns of podcast episodes until the live commentaries.
On Sunday, BBC One had to take the world feed commentary for the live coverage of the Women's Super League game between Chelsea and Manchester United.
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Piers Morgan was even on the right side of history for once, rather than the right side, when he called the BBC 'spineless' over their decision, and even managed to not mention Cristiano Ronaldo, personal growth perhaps?
SPORTbible reached out for comment from the BBC and are awaiting a reply, we will update this story as soon as we have more details.
Topics: Gary Lineker, Match Of The Day, Premier League, Football
Ryan Sidle