Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker to leave BBC after sharing Instagram story about Zionism

The Associated Press

· Posted: May 19, 2025 10:32 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Gary Lineker, the England shot great-turned-media celebrity, volition permission his relation arsenic a presenter for the BBC aft facing disapproval for reposting an Instagram communicative astir Zionism that featured a representation of a rat.

The 64-year-old Lineker, who is the British nationalist broadcaster's highest-paid presenter, making astir 1.3 cardinal pounds ($2.42 million CAD) a year, was acceptable to permission flagship shot highlights show Match of the Day at the extremity of this play but stay with the BBC to beforehand different shot coverage, including adjacent year's men's World Cup.

However, the BBC said Monday successful a connection that Lineker volition measurement down wholly from the corp aft the last Match of the Day episode adjacent play successful the aftermath of his determination to stock a station from the group Palestine Lobby that included a representation of a rat, titled: "Zionism explained successful 2 minutes."

Rats, linked to illness and dirt, person been utilized to correspond Jews successful antisemitic propaganda passim history, including by the Nazis successful 1930s Germany.

"Gary has acknowledged the mistake helium made," BBC director-general Tim Davie said. "Accordingly, we person agreed helium volition measurement backmost from further presenting aft this season."

His apology

Lineker had already apologized for his conduct, saying past week helium reposted worldly that he subsequently learned contained "offensive references," adding that helium withdrew the station arsenic soon arsenic helium became alert of the contented and "would ne'er knowingly stock thing antisemitic."

Before Lineker's apology, Davie said the corp needed radical to beryllium the "exemplars of BBC values and travel our societal media policies" and that "when idiosyncratic makes a mistake, it costs us."

"Football has been astatine the bosom of my beingness for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin retrieve — some connected the transportation and successful the studio," Lineker said successful the BBC statement. "I attraction profoundly astir the game and astir the enactment I've done with the BBC implicit galore years. As I've said, I would ne'er consciously repost thing antisemitic — it goes against everything I basal for.

"However, I admit the mistake and upset that I caused and reiterate however atrocious I am. Stepping backmost present feels similar the liable people of action."

In a abstracted video station connected Instagram, Lineker said helium had made a "genuine mistake" and "should person been much diligent."

"I person stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues and each forms of racism each of my life, including of people antisemitism, which I perfectly abhor," helium said. "There's nary spot for it and ne'er should be."

Strained narration with the BBC

Lineker's openness to bespeak his governmental views connected societal media person caused increasing friction with the BBC regarding its
impartiality guidelines.

He was temporarily suspended from the corp successful March 2023 implicit comments helium made criticizing the then-Conservative government's caller asylum policy. It led to the BBC's rules connected societal media posts being rewritten to accidental presenters of high-profile programs extracurricular quality had a "responsibility to respect the BBC's impartiality because of their illustration connected the BBC."

Lineker was among 500 high-profile figures who signed an unfastened missive successful February urging the BBC to rebroadcast a documentary, Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone, to its streaming service, BBC iPlayer. The documentary was pulled aft it emerged that its 13-year-old narrator was the lad of a Hamas official.

Last week, successful an interrogation with The Daily Telegraph newspaper a time aft his archetypal apology, Lineker spoke retired astir the behaviour of Israel successful the warfare against Hamas successful Gaza, saying those who stayed soundless astir it were "almost complicit."

Lineker's career

The BBC has mislaid thing of a nationalist treasure who has go astir arsenic good known a broadcaster arsenic helium was a shot player.

Lineker is 1 of England's top players — helium scored 48 goals successful 80 games for his state and was the starring scorer astatine the 1986 World Cup successful Mexico — who transitioned into a TV presenter known for his slick, witty and knowledgeable personality, with 8.7 cardinal followers connected X and 1.2 cardinal followers connected Instagram. He has been the main presenter of BBC's Match of the Day since 1999 and utilized his presumption arsenic a freelancer to enactment for different broadcasters specified arsenic NBC, Al Jazeera and BT Sport.

Lineker, who played his nine shot for Everton, Tottenham and Barcelona, is the co-founder of the hugely palmy Goalhanger podcasts — the shaper of the fashionable The Rest is History series and its spinoffs astir politics, soccer, amusement and money.

Reaction to the departure

Lineker's departure from the BBC was welcomed by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which said helium had go "a awesome of the rot astatine the bosom of our nationalist broadcaster."

The radical added that Lineker was "repeatedly allowed to flout the BBC's ain rules connected impartiality, abusing his presumption to beforehand his progressively propagandist politics, vilifying those helium disagrees with and adjacent promoting dehumanizing and utmost messages."

"Gary has been a defining dependable successful shot sum for the BBC for implicit 2 decades," Davie said. "His passionateness and cognition person shaped our sports journalism and earned him the respect of sports fans crossed the U.K. and beyond. We privation to convey him for the publication helium has made."

Match of the Day, a late-night programme that has been moving since the 1960s and is regarded arsenic an instauration successful Britain, will beryllium hosted by Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan for the commencement of the 2025-26 season. None of them are erstwhile shot players.