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Gary Lineker has revealed highlight packages on Match of the Day are limited to 12 minutes as he explained the reasons behind the show’s length at the weekend.
Former England international Alex Scott filled in for Lineker on Saturday night and she was joined by regular co-host Alan Shearer and former Swansea captain Ashley Williams on the show on Saturday night.
But viewers who tuned in on the BBC’s flagship football programme on Saturday night were treated to a much shorter broadcast than usual.
That is because, due to the Premier League winter break, only two games were scheduled for Saturday.
The panel analysed Arsenal’s 5-0 thumping of Crystal Palace and then delved into Brentford’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest, but the show wrapped up after just 35 minutes.
Gary Lineker has revealed highlight packages on Match of the Day are limited to 12 minutes
And speaking on ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast, Lineker explained to co-hosts Shearer and Micah Richards the reason for the unusually short show.
‘I’m not sure if people know this but you’re only allowed a certain amount of time of each game,’ he said.
‘I think it’s limited to something like a maximum of 12 minutes.’
The former England international went on to explain the BBC was contractually obligated to adhere to the stipulated length of highlight packages, regardless of the number of fixtures analysed on the show.
Alex Scott (left) filled in for Gary Lineker and she was joined by regulaAlan Shearer and Ashley Williams (right)
‘Therefore whereas normally we would squeeze in six or eight games and condense our chatting into two or three minutes per game, when you’ve just got two games in 35 minutes you’ve got ten minutes or so to chat,’ he said.
‘It’s a contractual obligation – I think it’s 12 minutes but I’ll check that.’
The show’s Sunday iteration – Match of the Day 2 – was also limited to just two games, with Sheffield United’s 2-2 draw against West Ham and Liverpool’s 4-0 trouncing of Bournemouth the fixtures dissected.
The Sunday programme, however, can rely on highlights of the previous day’s matches to fill air time.
And at least there was plenty for the pundits to get stuck in on both shows. On Saturday, Arsenal returned to Premier League action in style as they thrashed Palace at the Emirates.
On the same day, Ivan Toney made his long-awaited return from an eight-month ban by scoring in Brentford’s win over Nottingham Forest.
On Sunday, meanwhile, there was no shortage of drama at Bramall Lane as Sheffield United and West Ham both a player sent off and the hosts scored an 103rd minute equaliser after they were awarded a contentious late penalty.
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