They think it’s all over — it is now. Gary Lineker is expected to leave the BBC.
The BBC’s highest-paid presenter, earning £1.35M ($1.8M), will exit after he presents his final Match of the Day highlights show at the weekend.
Lineker’s abrupt departure follows him sharing a now-deleted Instagram video from the Palestine Lobby account that overlaid a cartoon rat emoji on top of an explainer about the Israel-Gaza war and Zionism. The rat has historically been used as an antisemitic trope.
Lineker apologized for the post, but sources told BBC News that his position was “untenable” following a string of controversies about his social media use, which have called into question the BBC’s impartiality. The Times and The Sun also reported that Lineker was leaving.
The BBC had previously agreed that Lineker would exit Match of Day, the Premier League highlights show, but continue to present coverage of the FA Cup and 2026 FIFA World Cup. This plan has now been scrapped.
He hosted the BBC’s coverage of the FA Cup final on Saturday, which is set to be his final live event for the corporation. An announcement could be made today about his future.
Lineker “apologised unreservedly” for the Instagram post featuring the rat. “On Instagram, I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references,” he said. “I take full responsibility for this mistake. That image does not reflect my views.”
Asked about the matter last week, Tim Davie, the BBC director general, was unambiguous: “The BBC’s reputation is held by everyone, and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us. We absolutely need people to be exemplars of the BBC values and follow our social media policy. Simple as that.”
Lineker has presented Match of the Day for 25 years and has been the BBC’s highest-paid presenter for the past seven years. He is highly regarded by BBC management and well-liked by audiences, but his relationship with the corporation has become fractious over his use of social media in recent years.
Lineker has grown his business interests outside of the BBC, most notably through Goalhanger Podcasts, which makes table-topping shows such as The Rest Is History and The Rest Is Entertainment.
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