Lineker off BBC's FA Cup coverage after losing his voice

FA Cup - Quarter-Final - Manchester City v Burnley
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Quarter-Final - Manchester City v Burnley - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - March 18, 2023 TV pundit Gary Lineker alongside the FA cup trophy before the match REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

March 19 (Reuters) - Gary Lineker will not be on the BBC for their FA Cup quarter-final coverage on Sunday because he has lost his voice, the corporation said, with Alex Scott taking his place.

Lineker was struggling with his voice during live coverage of Manchester City's 6-0 thrashing of Burnley on Saturday and it did not improve.

The 62-year-old presenter was set to be at Sunday's quarter-final between Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion and fourth-tier Grimsby Town.

"I've been silenced... literally, by a nasty cold so, annoyingly, won't be working at Brighton this afternoon," Lineker wrote on Twitter.

The former England captain had returned to host BBC's soccer show coverage a week after his suspension for criticising government immigration policy caused a row over the broadcaster's impartiality rules.

BBC managers reversed their decision to suspend Lineker, the broadcaster's highest-paid presenter, after his colleagues refused to work in solidarity last weekend, forcing it to air Match of the Day's soccer highlights without normal commentary.

Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris

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