Gary Lineker statement: Why the BBC host will not chair Brighton v Grimsby Town

Gary Linker will not be in the chair for the BBC as Brighton and Hove Albion host Grimsby Town in the quarter-final of the FA Cup.

Lineker was scheduled to host the programme but has been forced to withdraw due to illness.

Alex Scott has been drafted in a late replacement to lead the coverage from the Amex Stadium as League Two Grimsby Town seek to upset Premier League highflyers Brighton.

The broadcaster announced: "Due to illness, we've got a line-up change for today's live FA Cup coverage of Brighton v Grimsby on BBC One.

"As viewers will have noticed yesterday, Gary Lineker was struggling with his voice and unfortunately it has deteriorated overnight. Alex Scott will be hosting instead."

Lineker, 62, was back on the BBC last night for the first time since he was suspended by the BBC for his tweets on the Government's bill on illegal migrants.

He was clearly struggling with his voice as Man City thrashed Burnley 6-0 in the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium and the match at the Amex Stadium arrived too soon for the high-profile broadcaster.

Scott will be in the chair for the show as League Two Grimsby look produce another shock. Grimsby have become knock-out tournament specialists and have so far beaten Plymouth, Cambridge, Burton and Luton before their shock fifth-round win at Southampton. Their manager Paul Hurst said Sunday’s challenge against Brighton was “a different level again”.

“It’s a little bit frightening in truth, having watched them,” Hurst said. “We’ve done a lot of work on them and you start to wonder how you set up against them.

“We’ve got an idea, but the reality is a lot of Premier League teams have and they’ve been second best on most occasions.”

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi added: “I want our fans to support our players because Sunday is a difficult game. We have to not think, ‘We are Brighton from the Premier League and Grimsby are in the fourth division’, because we would make a big mistake. We have to play seriously, because for us it is a big opportunity to go to Wembley.”