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Gary Lineker will quit the BBC over an anti-Semitism row after sharing a controversial post.
Lineker’s departure follows backlash from campaigners and colleagues, despite his unreserved apology.
He will announce Sunday’s Match of the Day as his last after 26 years.
Gary Lineker is set to quit the BBC on Monday (local time) over the anti-Semitism row that erupted after he shared a social-media post featuring a rat.
The former England captain will leave the corporation early by mutual consent as plans for him to front next year’s World Cup are axed.
A source told The Sun newspaper that Lineker has acknowledged his position at the BBC has become “untenable”.
He will now announce that next Sunday’s Match of the Day will be his last after 26 years fronting the show.
“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,” The Sun‘s source added. “He remains absolutely devastated by the recent turn of events and is deeply regretful about how his post was interpreted.”
Gary Lineker will leave the BBC early by mutual consent as plans for him to front next year’s World Cup are axed (file photo). Photo / Getty Images
Danny Cohen, the former director of BBC Television, has immediately welcomed Lineker’s departure. “Given the anti-Semitic nature of the content Mr Lineker shared it is right that he is leaving the BBC,” Cohen told The Telegraph. “But Mr Lineker’s sharing of the post is a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. For far too long the BBC has failed to put a stop to Jew-hate and blatant breaches of impartiality on its services.
“All of this has been causing great pain to Britain’s Jewish community and consistently undermining the BBC’s reputation. Weak leadership by BBC executives has allowed racism against Jews to fester in the organisation for too long. The time for truly effective change is now, starting with unequivocal zero tolerance for antisemitism in any form.”
Lineker issued an unprecedented “unreserved” apology for sharing the rat image, stressing he had done so unknowingly, but his contrition failed to quell mounting anger compounded by his comments to The Telegraph.
The 64-year-old made no mention of the furore as he fronted coverage of the FA Cup final on Saturday, despite calls for him to be dropped for the game at Wembley.
Lineker had been contracted to front the BBC’s FA Cup coverage next season, as well as the World Cup. An early exit denies him the opportunity to bow out at next summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The seriousness of Lineker’s “anti-Semitic” rat post was reflected in his unprecedented apology on Wednesday, which was not enough to quell anger from BBC colleagues demanding he be sacked. Lineker had never previously shown contrition for expressing his views on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
He also did not say sorry in 2023 for comparing the then Government’s rhetoric over its immigration policy to that of Nazi Germany, despite it triggering a BBC suspension that was lifted when colleagues walked out in support of the presenter.
The former England captain said in a statement on Wednesday: “On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learnt contained offensive references. I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic. It goes against everything I believe in.
“The post was removed as soon as I became aware of the issue. Whilst I strongly believe in the importance of speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, I also know that how we do so matters.
“I take full responsibility for this mistake. That image does not reflect my views. It was an error on my part for which I apologise unreservedly.”
Lineker, who earned £1.35 million ($3.04m) in BBC pay last year, is lauded as an accomplished broadcaster, but has become an increasingly divisive figure among viewers.
His denial that he spotted the cartoon rat, used by the Nazis as a slur against Jewish people, had failed to calm anger among critics. The image had accompanied a video in which Canadian-Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu attacked Israel’s war in Gaza.
The source with understanding of Lineker’s situation told The Sun of his departure: “It is a heartbreaking end to an extraordinary broadcasting career.”
