Gary Lineker, who is soon to hang up his Match of the Day boots after 25 years, has said he felt the BBC wanted him to leave the weekly highlights show.
Lineker, who has had a chequered relationship with the national broadcaster over the past couple of years, told BBC presenter Amol Rajan “perhaps they wanted me to leave… there was a sense of that” when discussing his exit.
He was responding to a question from Rajan for an Amol Rajan Interviews episode on why he is choosing to leave now when the show is doing so well. “Perhaps they wanted me to leave,” was Lineker’s response.
Lineker, who is being replaced by three hosts next season, is remaining with the BBC to present FA Cup and World Cup coverage along with podcasts and he said that while this move is “slightly unusual… to be honest it’s a scenario that suits me perfectly.”
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The BBC did not comment on today’s Lineker remarks but pointed Deadline to the statement made at the time he announced his exit, which was billed as “Gary Lineker agrees a contract extension with the BBC.” At that time in November 2024, BBC sport boss Alex Kay-Jelski called Lineker a “world-class presenter, and we’re delighted that he’ll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup.”
Lineker’s latest comments, which are now available to watch on BBC iPlayer, may reopen wounds.
The ex-soccer pro kickstarted an unprecedented BBC presenter strike when he was stood down from Match of the Day hosting duties two years ago after posting a tweet comparing UK government policy on small boats to that of Nazi Germany.
Lineker returned the following week but sparked an entire review into BBC presenters’ use of social media and Lineker’s social media use has since raised questions. Last year, Lineker described the situation between him and the BBC after the tweet as a “lover’s tiff” and said “we are fine again now.”
At £1.35M ($1.8M) per year, Lineker is currently the BBC’s highest-paid presenter. His final Match of the Day will take place next month as the UK soccer season wraps up.
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