Gary Lineker has backed Eric Dier’s decision to go public with his view on Brexit and insisted he would have “thought long and hard” about it.
The England and Tottenham midfielder threw his weight behind a people’s vote in a short and simple message via his personal Twitter account on Thursday morning.
Journalist Rory Smith suggested Dier might have regretted posting his view after checking his social media feedback, but Match of the Day host Lineker is convinced the player would have been well aware “what the response would be”.
I’m sure he knew exactly what the response would be, both positive and negative, and had thought long and hard about sharing his opinion. https://t.co/OvKqT8Lxdj
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) March 14, 2019
OPINION
Lineker is spot on. Dier is a very intelligent individual and would have been well aware of the outrage that would be greeted by him going public with his view that there should be a second Brexit referendum following more dramatic events in the House of Commons on Wednesday night. Why shouldn’t Dier, or any other high-profile footballer, share their political views on social media? Do footballers have to be robots, merely tweeting their delight at the fans for supporting the team, or disappointment in the wake of a defeat? Lineker uses social media to express his political opinions, and his considered views are well worth reading. While the former England and Tottenham striker doesn’t have to deal with the tribalism of warring fans now he is retired, he is right in backing Dier for using Twitter for something other than promoting his football career.