ary Lineker mentioned he obtained a “standing ovation” in a department of Marks & Spencer after being suspended by the BBC earlier this yr.

The Match Of The Day host, 62, was taken off air by the company after being caught up in a row over impartiality in March.

Lineker had in contrast the language used to launch a Government asylum seeker coverage with Nineteen Thirties Germany on X, previously generally known as Twitter.

Benching Lineker sparked a backlash and resulted in various his fellow sports activities pundits, together with Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, boycotting Match Of The Day.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Lineker mentioned the fallout was “all pretty sad”.

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“What the boys did was incredible,” he mentioned, referring to Wright and Shearer.

“It was incredibly moving. For me, as the person they stood up for, it meant a lot. I cried in the back of the taxi.”

He added: “I recall walking to M&S two or three days in, and I got a standing ovation… Well, I suppose everybody’s standing in M&S, but even so.

I recall walking to M&S two or three days in, and I got a standing ovation… Well, I suppose everybody’s standing in M&S, but even so. It was really cringe.

“It was really cringe. I didn’t know what to do. I just thought, ‘Please stop’.”

Lineker returned to his presenting obligation on March 18, the place he fronted stay protection of Manchester City’s FA Cup quarter-final towards Burnley alongside Shearer and Micah Richards.

Following the incident BBC director-general Tim Davie mentioned the company had commissioned an impartial overview of its social media pointers, notably for freelancers.

Mr Davie apologised for what he acknowledged had been “a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences” and described the BBC’s dedication to freedom of expression and impartiality as a “difficult balancing act”.