Lineker scored a hat-trick over the BBC's withdrawn red card

He exposed BBC flaws, Tory policy cynicism and a Labour cop-out

- THERESE RAPHAEL

During his playing years as English football's famous striker in the 1980s and 90s, Gary Lineker was never cautioned by a referee or sent off the pitch. It wasn't until after his playing career that the referees at the BBC blew the whistle. As the world now knows, the star football pundit, host of the BBC's flagship Match of the Day programme and its highest paid personality, was benched last week over fears that his tweet about the government's new immigration bill compromised the broadcaster's commitment to impartiality. The sound that followed was the deafening roar from the footballing world flooding the pitch to back Lineker.

After a weekend of curtailed programming and resignation threats from other top hosts, the BBC announced Monday that it will bring Lineker back on air. The Beeb apologized for "potential confusion caused by the grey areas" of its social media guidelines and will subject them to an independent review. So Lineker will return, along with his co-commentators Ian Wright and Alan Shearer (both had walked out in solidarity with Lineker).