Match of the Day pundit breaks ‘golden rule’ as Gary Lineker makes BBC claim

Micah Richards thought he had broken the ‘golden rule’ of broadcasting while covering Euro 2024 for the BBC - until Gary Lineker put his fears to rest.

Richards appeared as a pundit alongside Lineker, Alan Shearer and Jose Fonte on BBC One for Portugal’s last-16 penalty shootout win over Slovenia. Giving his insight on Portugal's underwhelming first half, the former Manchester City defender brought up his connection with their coach Roberto Martinez.

He praised Martinez's tactical insights, leaving Lineker puzzled as to when Richards had been coached by the Catalan. Richards then nervously admitted it was during punditry work for "another broadcaster".

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Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards has now explained why he felt cautious about referencing his CBS role on the BBC, having assumed it was strictly forbidden. That sparked an amused response from Lineker and Shearer, who played down his fears..

"I said on BBC that I worked with him [Martinez]" explained Richards. "I didn't want to name CBS on BBC."

Lineker interjected: "I don't know why, that would have been fine. It's an American broadcaster, Micah. Even if you're working on Sky with him, that would've been fine as well. That's not a BBC thing [to punish Richards]. Trust me."

The presenter added: "When you said 'I worked with him', I was thinking 'Christ, which club did Micah work with him for?’" before Shearer chimed in with: "You can say what you want man, you're the biggest pundit now on the BBC!”

Richards balances his regular role on BBC’s Match of the Day with coverage of the Champions League for CBS Sports Golazo, as well as his long-time role on Sky Sports.

The trio went on to discuss Martinez's management of Cristiano Ronaldo during the important clash with Slovenia, where Ronaldo was at the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons. The 39-year-old captain had a difficult night, fluffing several free-kicks, missing a penalty in extra time and shedding tears on the pitch, only to later score from the spot during the shootout.

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Shearer said: "I said before a ball was kicked that if Portugal are to go deep into the tournament it all depends on how Martinez handles Ronaldo. He's played every game. That game summed it up that, that's how it's going to be for Portugal, it has to be about Ronaldo.

"He's 39-years-old. Clearly, he's not as good as he was or as sharp in the box. He demands to play every game and take every free-kick. Then the penalty miss and he burst into tears. It was hysterical."

Lineker then weighed-in, adding: "I think Martinez has handled him really well. You either tell Ronaldo you're completely in or completely out. If he took him off in that game, that would've caused uproar in the camp. It's a delicate issue."