Sport

Gary Lineker’s BBC Days Numbered as Controversy, Contracts and Change Collide

Published on May 19, 2025

It’s looking more and more like Gary Lineker is set to hang up his Match of the Day boots for good. The 64-year-old is widely expected to step down after hosting next weekend’s show, which could mark the end of an era in British football broadcasting.

Word is, Lineker won’t just be leaving Match of the Day—he’s also not expected to return for the BBC’s World Cup coverage in 2026. That’s a big shift for someone who’s been one of the most recognisable faces of the broadcaster for decades, not to mention the highest-paid presenter on the books.

The timing of this news is… interesting. It follows a fresh controversy last week when Lineker shared a post on social media that included a cartoon of a rat—a symbol historically tied to antisemitic propaganda. After a wave of backlash, he issued a public apology, saying he hadn’t realised the symbolism and deleted the post once he was made aware of the implications. “I very much regret the references,” he said, insisting he would never knowingly share anything antisemitic.

The Sun was the first to break the news of his potential departure late Sunday, and the rumour mill has been spinning fast ever since. While the BBC hasn’t put out an official statement confirming anything, insiders suggest the mood at the top isn’t great. Apparently, senior figures felt Lineker’s position had become “untenable.”

This isn’t the first time Lineker has courted controversy over what he posts online. Back in March 2023, he was briefly suspended after tweeting that the language used by the government to promote its asylum policy was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.” That caused a massive stir, prompting the BBC to rethink its social media guidelines—especially for big-name presenters outside the news and current affairs departments.

Even after that episode, Lineker wasn’t exactly keeping his distance from political commentary, and it seems tensions have been simmering behind the scenes for a while. Last November, he announced he’d be leaving Match of the Day, but still planned to stick around for major tournaments like the FA Cup and the World Cup. Now, that exit looks a lot more final.

In a recent interview, Lineker admitted he had a feeling the BBC wanted him gone, especially during contract talks last year. “Well, perhaps they want me to leave. There was the sense of that,” he said. The BBC at the time called him a “world-class presenter” and said the show “continually evolves for changing viewing habits,” without addressing his comments directly.

With Lineker’s exit looming, the BBC has already named Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman, and Gabby Logan as the new faces of Match of the Day for the 2025–26 season. As for Gary, he hasn’t officially commented on the departure yet, but he’s hinted that his future lies away from TV. Speaking to Amol Rajan, he said he’ll likely shift focus to podcasts rather than more television work.

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