‘Britain should be proud of Gary’: Refugee who lived with Lineker calls ‘defender of humanity’
A refugee taken in by Gary Lineker praised the Match of the Day star for ‘defending humanity’ during a BBC spat over a tweet he sent about the migrant crisis.
Rasheed Baluch lived with the football pundit for weeks in 2020 when he was given free room and board at Lineker’s £4m Surrey home.
The 35-year-old called him a ‘caring and loving defender of humanity’ who should be ‘a point of pride for the British public’ when he returned to our TV screens after being reinstated by the BBC.
He was taken off the air after a tweet comparing the language used to launch a new government asylum seeker policy to 1930s Germany.
“Gary has come forward to defend humanity,” law student Rasheed told The Mirror. It should be a point of pride for the British public.
“He has been given the right to freedom, the right to think and to express his opinion. So for the institutions to react so negatively to Gary’s statement is undemocratic and unfair.”
The refugee who stayed with Gary Lineker in 2020 called him a “caring and loving defender of humanity” who “should be a point of pride for the British public” when he returned to our TV screens after being killed by the BBC was restored
Rasheed was taken into custody after he fled Pakistan’s Balochistan province, fearing for his safety. He said Lineker helped with his travel expenses and showed interest in his background and story.
“He’s friendly and open-minded. He loved to listen to me as I shared my story about the situation in my country and the plight of my people,” he said.
Although Gary is a star, he lives a simple life. He is never proud of his status. He is a very sympathetic, caring and charitable man.’
In 2020, 62-year-old Lineker shared a letter written to him and his family by Rasheed, in which he wrote, “While staying at your beautiful home, I never felt like I was a stranger or a guest, but it seemed me like I’m a member of your family.
“I will never forget your hospitality, love, and companionship that you and your sweet, respectful children gave me.”
Lineker, who has four sons – George, Harry, Angus and Tobais – shared the letter with his followers, writing: ‘Thank you Rasheed for giving both myself and my boys such a different outlook on life’.
He also thanked Refugees at Home (RaH) for arranging the placement, adding, “It was a hugely positive experience and I will definitely host again.”
In 2021, Lineker received a second refugee for a month, a young Turkish woman who is now studying at university.
Lineker, who has four sons – George, Harry, Angus and Tobais – shared the letter with his followers
In 2021, Lineker received a second refugee for a month, a Turkish young man who is now studying at university
BBC Sport presenter Gary Lineker (right) and pundit Alan Shearer return to TV screens after row over impartiality
The refugee said Lineker helped with his travel expenses and showed interest in his background and story
It comes after Lineker returned to live presentations on the BBC as part of the broadcast of the FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester City and Burnley.
He was joined in the studio by Alan Shearer who, along with other BBC Sport colleagues, walked out in ‘solidarity’ with Lineker over the Twitter spat. English footballer gymnast expert Micah Richards also joined the on-screen pair.
Speaking to his on-air colleagues, Shearer said, “I just need to clear up and wanted to say how upset we were (for) all the audience that missed last weekend.
“It was a very difficult situation for everyone involved – and through no fault of their own some great people on TV and radio have been put in an impossible situation and it wasn’t fair.
“So it’s good to get back to normal and talk about football again.”
Lineker replied that he “absolutely” agreed with the “feelings” and said it was “great to be here.”
Before Lineker came on the air, he posted a photo of himself at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester and told his Twitter followers: “Ah what a pleasure to be able to stay with football.”
It comes after Lineker returned to live presentations on the BBC as part of the broadcast of the FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester City and Burnley.
He was joined in the studio by Alan Shearer who, along with other BBC Sport colleagues, walked out in ‘solidarity’ with Lineker via the Twitter feud. English footballer gymnast expert Micah Richards also joined the on-screen pair
Before Lineker came on the air, he posted a photo of himself at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester and told his Twitter followers: “Ah what a pleasure to be able to stay with football.”
On Monday, BBC director-general Tim Davie said in a statement that the BBC has commissioned an independent review of its social media guidelines, particularly for freelancers.
He apologized for what he acknowledged had been ‘a difficult period for the staff, employees, presenters and especially our audience’ and described the BBC’s commitment to freedom of expression and impartiality as a ‘difficult balancing act’.
He added: ‘The potential confusion caused by the gray areas of the BBC’s social media guidelines introduced in 2020 is recognised. I want things resolved and our sports content back on the air.”