Alan Shearer has insisted his decision to reduce his Match of the Day appearances is purely to reclaim some weekends after the BBC rejected suggestions the move was linked to its director of sport.
The Newcastle legend is set to feature less frequently on the iconic football highlights programme this season, but has now personally addressed the reason behind the change.
It comes after it was reported that Shearer had been involved in a row with BBC director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski and suggested the dispute had resulted in him cutting his Match of the Day commitments to around once a month.
However, the BBC has firmly rejected any connection between the two.
A BBC spokesperson told GB News: “The suggestion that Alan is reducing his Match of the Day appearances because of the Director of Sport is untrue.”
Shearer has also stressed that reducing his workload is something that had already been under consideration and maintained that his relationship with the broadcaster remains positive.
“Cutting back my MOTD appearances is something we’ve been discussing for some time and purely so I can have some weekends back,” he said.
Alan Shearer has insisted his decision to reduce his Match of the Day appearances is purely to reclaim some weekends after the BBC rejected suggestions the move was linked to its director of sport.
| PA
“I’ve always had a positive relationship with everyone at the BBC and that continues to be the case.”
The original report claimed there was wider discontent behind the scenes at Match of the Day as the programme enters a new era following Gary Lineker’s departure.
It alleged some members of the presenting, punditry and production teams were unhappy with the direction being taken under Kay-Jelski.
Alex Kay-Jelski hasn’t been afraid to ruffle feathers at the BBC | GETTY
A source quoted by the newspaper claimed: “Some are convinced he wants to change BBC Sport from a traditional, terrestrial model into something more YouTube-like. It has caused an internal mutiny.”
The report also claimed tensions involving Shearer had been exacerbated by events surrounding the Sports Journalism Awards.
It was alleged that Shearer had not been informed of Match of the Day’s nomination or invited to the ceremony, where the programme subsequently won programme of the year.
However, Shearer’s statement makes clear he considers his relationship with the BBC to be positive and says his reduced Match of the Day schedule is unrelated to the director of sport.
The broadcaster has also clarified the position of several established pundits following questions over their absence from publicity announcing its plans for the new campaign.
Alan Shearer appeared on Match of the Day over the weekend and criticised Manchester United following their defeat to Hull
| BBC
Martin Keown, Dion Dublin, Shay Given, Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onuoha and Theo Walcott were not included in the announcement.
But the BBC has confirmed all six remain part of its plans.
The broadcaster insists it will continue working with the pundits across Match of the Day and its wider football output this season, with some contracts still being finalised.
Match of the Day returned for the new season over the weekend, with Mark Chapman presenting.