From Des Lynam to Gary Lineker, Match of the Day has become a national institution – but now its 60th birthday has been overshadowed by the Jermaine Jenas scandal and their balloon is burst

It is one of those rare programs whose title tune instantly puts a smile on the faces of generations.

The familiar, cheerful opening notes of the trumpet are a loud call to the living room instead of to arms.

For decades, Match of the Day has been a fixture on the Saturday night competition and it still is, despite the advent of the digital age, when there’s a good chance you’ll have already seen your team’s goals by the time the whistle blows.

Even now, with mobile as the king of entertainment, the viewing figures are the dream of those in the industry. No other broadcaster can come close to the four million who routinely tune in.

Around 61 per cent of the UK population will watch MOTD at some point this season. On a Sunday morning, MOTD2 can attract two million viewers — double the average audience for a live match on Sky Sports. And the best part? It’s free to watch, giving that audience access to a sport from which many feel increasingly disconnected.

If you have access to a TV and a licence then you’re in. No subscription required, no ridiculously expensive tickets or £14 cheeseburgers, although many do prefer takeaway.

But on the same day that the channel celebrated its 60th birthday with great and deserved fanfare, the BBC bosses found themselves on familiar ground, trying to extinguish the flames of the latest crisis rather than light the candles on the cake.

This time it was not £1.35million-a-year Gary Lineker who led a mass uprising, but the veteran presenter’s widely regarded replacement, Jermaine Jenas, who was accused of sending “inappropriate messages” to a BBC employee.

In a scene that could have been lifted straight from W1A, the stunningly accurate mockumentary about life at Auntie’s, workers at Manchester’s Media City HQ spent the day removing a giant poster featuring 41-year-old Jenas, Lineker and colleague Alex Scott. After the bunting, the punting.

In an interview that seemed more like talkSPORT’s attempt to save face than get to the heart of the matter, Jenas, who appeared on air minutes after the news broke, offered little explanation, saying only that there were two sides and that his lawyers would take the case from here.

But the speed of the BBC’s decision, coupled with reports that others have now come forward with similar complaints, not to mention MC Saatchi’s swift removal of his profile from their website and subsequent confirmation that they no longer represent the ex-Tottenham player, do seem to point in a certain direction. That speed is also commendable.

Although time may tell otherwise, this doesn’t look set to be a long-term affair, as new sporting director Alex Kay-Jelski’s one-sentence email to staff leaves little room for ambiguity. ‘I wanted to let you know that Jermaine Jenas is no longer working for the BBC,’ he wrote.

It seems like a significant improvement from last year, when MOTD suffered its darkest hour of at least 20 minutes. This is largely due to the lack of clarity that comes from this latest scandal.

Lineker, who had been encouraged to raise human rights issues in Qatar ahead of the station’s coverage of the World Cup, was suspended less than four months later after complaining on Twitter about the language used by ministers discussing the government’s asylum policy, likening it to “the language of Germany in the 1930s”.

That move led to a walkout with pundits, led by Ian Wright, refusing to show up. What followed was a storyless 20 minutes of action that wasn’t even preceded by that famous theme tune, with some calling for director Tim Davie’s head. That’s how much Match of the Day means. This was an act of wanton vandalism to a national treasure. A huge own goal.

MOTD is part of the culture, dating back to Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Arsenal at Anfield on 22 August 1964, with Kenneth Wolstenholme at the forefront. Alan Hansen’s doom-mongering that ‘you can’t win anything with kids’, John Motson’s sheepskin, mother and father who only let you stay up and fall asleep by the time Burnley come on, are in the national consciousness.

In a time of polarised opinion and unrest, it is a welcome and warm distraction. It has evolved now, showing more games and graphics. But football, plain and simple, glorious football, is still at its heart. Lineker, now in his 25th year at the helm, is the fifth presenter in its entirety, which speaks volumes. It will outlast Jenas and his latest adventure in unrest.

What happens next will be interesting. Some saw Jenas as a surefire successor to Lineker. There are already riders and riders. Mark Chapman, who presents MOTD2, would seem a natural replacement. Chapman’s podcast partner Gabby Logan also has admirers, although eyebrows were raised when BBC bosses learned she would be leading Amazon’s Champions League coverage, despite being chosen ahead of Chapman to present the BBC’s own highlights of the same competition.

Former Lioness Alex Scott completes the top three of the field, although Football Focus’ viewing figures have fallen significantly under her leadership.

In December, BBC bosses extended their deal to show MOTD until the end of the decade. The previous deal, which included the right to show Premier League highlights on Football Focus AND spin-off MOTDx, cost around £71.5m a year. The new deal is said to be on similar terms. It’s a snip. This is a programme that needs to be protected. After the demise of Grandstand, it’s one of the few remaining pillars of BBC Sport.

“I’m not happy,” Jenas told talkSPORT, who quickly announced he would not return to present Friday’s Drive Time programme.

Judging by the vast majority of responses since his firing, his views are not shared by those who will be watching the duh duh duh duh songs tomorrow night, as they have done for decades.