Gary Lineker, who has apologised for boosting internet content with antisemitic overtones, is expected to announce his departure from the BBC on Monday.
The 64-year-old issued an apology last week after it was revealed that he had shared a pro-Palestine video on social media that criticised Zionism and featured a rat illustration.
In Nazi Germany, a rat was used as an antisemitic metaphor to describe Jews as vermin. The post was removed “as soon as I became aware of the issue” according to a statement from Lineker, who added he would “never knowingly share anything antisemitic.”
Although Lineker was previously scheduled to quit his position on Match of the Day at the end of the current season, he was anticipated to host the company’s coverage of the World Cup the following summer and the FA Cup in 2025–2026.
Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan, and Kelly Cates will take his place as presenters on Match Of The Day starting in the upcoming Premier League season.
A source shared with the Sun: “Gary acknowledged his position at the BBC, anchoring the most prestigious tournament in world football, was untenable, and he will not be hosting the World Cup.
“He offered to step down at the end of the season, and did not want the BBC – an organisation he still holds in the highest of esteem – dragged into any further controversy.
“He remains absolutely devastated by the recent turn of events and is deeply regretful about how his post was interpreted. His last Match of the Day will air on Sunday now and he won’t be back.”
What are Lineker’s most controversial social media posts?
What did Gary Lineker tweet?
The football hero deleted an Instagram story in which he shared from the group Palestine Lobby, who referenced Israel and those of the Jewish faith.
The group shared the snap which said: “Zionism explained in two minutes” and featured an illustration of a rat, which Linekar shared on his own personal account.
The post caused uproar and calls for him to lose his job, which led to the post being swiftly deleted.
A rat has historically been used as an antisemitic insult, referring to language used by Nazi Germany to characterise Jews.
Lineker’s agent told the BBC the presenter immediately deleted the post when he learned about the image’s symbolism, saying he was not aware before.
Lineker’s agent said: “Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post. Although if he had, he would not have made any connection. The repost has been removed.”
But charity Campaign Against Antisemitism said this was not good enough and said it would be submitting a complaint to the BBC.
Campaign Against Antisemitism posting on X, wrote: “Nothing to see here. Just Gary Lineker’s Instagram account sharing an anti-Israel video misrepresenting Zionism, complete with a rat emoji.”
Lineker has often voiced support for a liberal approach to border controls, and has also expressed support for a second EU referendum.
In March 2023, he compared the language used to launch a government asylum seeker policy to 1930s Germany, describing the scheme as “immeasurably cruel”.
His comments sparked a backlash which saw the BBC remove him from hosting football highlights programme Match Of The Day.
Lineker later returned to the show after the row prompted a number of his fellow pundits, including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, to boycott it.
The BBC later introduced new social media rules banning flagship presenters from making attacks on political parties.
In 2018, Lineker was criticised by BBC cricket presenter Jonathan Agnew after he posted a string of tweets criticising the Conservative Party.
Agnew told Lineker that as “the face of BBC Sport”, he should “observe BBC editorial guidelines”.
It came after Lineker tweeted: “Imagine how hopeless you’d have to be to still be behind the Tory party in the polls. The absolute state of our politics.”
In 2022, the BBC found Lineker had breached its impartiality guidelines over comments he had made in February asking then-foreign secretary Liz Truss if her party would “hand back their donations from Russian donors” after the invasion of Ukraine.
Before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Lineker led criticism of then-foreign secretary James Cleverly for suggesting LGBT+ football fans be “respectful of the host nation” – where homosexuality is illegal.
“Whatever you do, don’t do anything Gay. Is that the message?” Lineker said in response to the cabinet minister’s comments.
Lineker later opened the BBC’s broadcast coverage of the Qatar World Cup with a critique of the host country’s treatment of migrant workers and record on human rights.
Lineker’s tweets have been criticised a number of times
PA Archive
In August 2022, BBC journalist Neil Henderson asked if Lineker had a contract which allowed him to breach BBC impartiality after he tweeted about sewage being pumped into the sea.
The presenter had posted: “As a politician how could you ever, under any circumstances, bring yourself to vote for pumping sewage into our seas? Unfathomable!”