A furious backlash has erupted over the BBC’s decision to delete a tweet on Gary Lineker’s say so with claims that he is “running the BBC.”
Gary Lineker urged the BBC to delete a social media post about Wayne Rooney after the former Manchester United striker was sacked by Birmingham City.
The tweet by BBC Sport showed Rooney in a Peaky Blinder outfit – a show set in the Midlands that poked fun at the fact he had just been sacked by the Championship club.
The image was posted alongside the caption: “By order of the Peaky Blinders, Wayne Rooney has been sacked by Birmingham City.”
Some football fans criticised the tweet saying it was unfair to mock Rooney who’d been let go after The Blues won just twice in the league under his guidance.
And Lineker then waded into the issue with a forceful response to the tweet which simply read “Delete this” with the Beeb quickly succumbing to his demand.
Now onlookers are furious saying that Lineker wields the ultimate power over the corporation – including former Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie who also took to X to vent his anger about the BBC deleting the “fun” tweet.
He said: “Ridiculous that BBC Sport deleted a fun tweet of Wayne Rooney dressed as a Peaky Blinder character following his sacking by Birmingham City just 15 minutes after Gary Lineker sent a tweet to them saying; Delete this.
“Why did they take any notice of Lineker? Supposing BBC Sport had demanded he delete one of his heavily politicised tweets would he have taken any notice?
“He doesn’t even take notice of the DG. Clearly Lineker runs the joint. All this on our money. Surely this must end.”
And many agreed with Mr MacKenzie saying that it’s the “classic example of the tail wagging the dog.”
