Lineker talks to Walkers about Sun advertising after child refugees row

Walkers Crisps frontman Gary Lineker has had talks with the brand about its advertising in The Sun after a row over the portrayal of child refugees.

The Match Of The Day (MOTD) host and former England football captain tweeted that people would have to "wait and see" about the results of his talks with the snack brand.

Lineker, 55, has faced calls for him to be sacked from MOTD since last month describing the treatment of young migrants arriving in the UK as "hideously racist".

He called for people to stand in solidarity with refugee children to put pressure on the Government to help those who had been stranded in the Calais Jungle.

The former Leicester, Barcelona and Tottenham star, who has been the face of Walkers Crisps for 21 years, was responding to tweets from the Daily Mail's deputy sports editor James White. It was pointed out that Walkers Crisps has in the past placed coupons in The Sun.

Asked whether he would be speaking to Walkers, Lineker said "already have".

He also shared a video from the Stop Funding Hate campaign, which bills itself as fighting against "a culture of hate perpetuated by the media". It is calling on high street retailers to rethink about which newspapers they advertise with.

Walkers appeared to shut down suggestions that it may cut ties with the tabloids.

A Walkers spokesman said: "We have a very successful partnership with Gary Lineker and we will continue to do so. Our advertising approach is not determined by the editorial stances of individual newspapers."

The Sun newspaper had claimed the BBC was "under pressure to fire" the former footballer over his refugee comments, but Lineker dismissed the suggestion.

He tweeted: "Getting a bit of a spanking today, but things could be worse - Imagine, just for a second, being a refugee having to flee from your home."