(CNN)Gary Lineker will take a step back from presenting "Match of the Day," the iconic British football show, following controversy about a tweet he wrote earlier in the week, the BBC announced on Friday.
On Tuesday, Lineker tweeted "Good heavens, this is beyond awful" to a video posted on Twitter by the British Home Office announcing the government's asylum seeker policy.
He then continued to write: "There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I'm out of order?"
A statement from the BBC said the decision for Lineker to step back followed "extensive discussions" with the former England international and his team.
"We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines," the statement said.