The BBC has responded to the controversy surrounding Gary Lineker at Euro 2024, insisting they 'encourage' all pundits to be 'honest' and 'themselves' amid his scathing criticism of England's performances at the tournament.
It's been a slow start to the European Championships for the Three Lions, who have picked up four points from a possible six.
England were poor in a 1-0 win over Serbia in their first game, with Jude Bellingham netting the only goal of the game.
And they were flat again on Thursday as they drew 1-1 with Denmark at the Frankfurt Arena.
The BBC has responded to the controversy surrounding Gary Lineker at Euro 2024, insisting they 'encourage' all pundits to be 'honest' and 'themselves' amid his scathing criticism of England's performances at the tournament.
BBC
Lineker was scathing in his criticism of the England side, branding them 's**t' after their display.
Both Southgate and Harry Kane have been forced to answer awkward questions about Lineker and whether or not he's out of line prior to tonight's clash with Slovenia.
Yet the BBC are unperturbed and have told the Daily Mail they encourage their pundits to be as honest as possible.
"We encourage all our pundits to be honest with their opinions and to be themselves," a BBC source said.
"We have a good balance of people on our coverage who are able to talk about the right topics in a way that informs and educates the audience."
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Lineker has also defended himself.
Speaking earlier this week, the BBC presenter said attacks on the squad weren't 'personal'.
“All you can do is call it how you see it and tell the truth," he said on The Rest is Football podcast.
"It doesn’t have to be personal.
"There are no personal attacks on anyone’s character, nobody has accused anyone of not trying because we know the players will be devastated by it."
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England players are in ther own bubble out in Germany, with squad members and staff staying off social media.
Kane, when asked about Lineker's comments, said it was 'hard to not listen' to the negativity surrounding their performances.
And he also told outspoken pundits they have a 'responsibility' knowing people are listening to their words.
“I’d never want to be disrespectful about any player, especially one who's worn the shirt," he said.
“It’s very hard to not listen to it now.
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Gary Lineker has the backing of the BBC amid his fierce criticism of England and their Euro 2024 displays
BBC
“They’ve got to be honest but they also have a responsibility as an ex-player of knowing that people listen to their words.
“This country hasn’t won a lot for a long time and they were included in that too.
“They will remember what it’s like to wear the shirt.
"I’m sure they want us to win a major tournament and being a bit more positive would be a better way of going about it.”
As for Southgate, he insists he is 'oblivious' to the current criticism and is solely focused on ensuring England end 58 years of hurt.
Gary Lineker criticism has sparked responses from England duo Harry Kane and Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024
PA
He said: "I'm oblivious to it [criticism from pundits]. It's not important to me.
"What's important to me is guiding this group of players through the tournament. We're a high-profile team with expectations, and I'm very comfortable living that life.
"I don't need to engage in the external, I'm my own biggest critic.
"The players are the same. There's nothing to be gained.
"We're brutally honest about what we need to do better - that's how you coach a team and how you improve."
