Gary Lineker #

Introduction #

Gary Lineker is an English sports broadcaster, businessman, and former professional footballer whose more-than-25-year run as presenter of Match of the Day ended in May 2025, when he left the BBC altogether after an antisemitism row over an Instagram post he had shared. Lineker said he had not seen the rat illustration in the post and “would never consciously repost anything antisemitic,” apologised “unreservedly,” and agreed to step back once the season ended — scrapping plans for him to front the BBC’s men’s FA Cup and 2026 World Cup coverage. The exit of the BBC’s best-known, highest-paid sports presenter over a single deleted post made it one of the most closely watched British cancellation cases in years.

Background Information #

Gary Winston Lineker was born on 30 November 1960 in Leicester, England, and played as a striker for Leicester City, Everton, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur across a 16-year career. He won 80 caps and scored 48 goals for England, won the Golden Boot as top scorer at the 1986 World Cup, never received a yellow or red card, and took the 1990 FIFA Fair Play Award.

He replaced Des Lynam as Match of the Day’s main presenter in 1999 and held the job until 2025 — the longest tenure in the programme’s history — while becoming the BBC’s highest-paid star for eight years. He also co-founded Goalhanger, the media company behind “The Rest Is…” podcasts including The Rest Is History and The Rest Is Football. He was no stranger to impartiality rows: in March 2023 he was temporarily suspended after a post describing the language used to promote the government’s asylum policy as “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s,” after which the BBC rewrote its social media rules for flagship presenters. In November 2024 he announced he would leave Match of the Day at the season’s end, but was due to stay through the 2026 World Cup.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

On 13 May 2025, Lineker shared an Instagram story from the group Palestine Lobby titled “Zionism explained in two minutes,” which featured an illustration of a rat. Per the BBC, a rat “has historically been used as an antisemitic insult, referring to language used by Nazi Germany to characterise Jews,” and the Associated Press reported that rats have represented Jews in antisemitic propaganda throughout history, including by the Nazis in 1930s Germany. Lineker came under criticism that day and deleted the post “as soon as I became aware of the issue.” Months earlier, he had been among 500 public figures signing an open letter urging the BBC to re-broadcast the documentary Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone.

He apologised the next day: “On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.” He added that “how we do so matters” when speaking out on humanitarian issues including “the tragedy unfolding in Gaza,” took “full responsibility for this mistake,” and said “That image does not reflect my views” — maintaining throughout that he had not seen the rat illustration before sharing the post.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

Jewish organisations demanded his dismissal. The Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The BBC has turned a blind eye for too long, it is long past time for him to go, and he must go now.” Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, dismissed the apology as “empty and belated” — “the first after years of baiting the Jewish community” — and said “it is high time that the licence-fee payer ceases to be obliged to subsidise and amplify his bile.” The apology came hours after director-general Tim Davie reminded stars to follow the corporation’s social media rules, saying “we absolutely need people to be exemplars of the BBC values.”

The apology did not save his job. The BBC’s culture and media editor Katie Razzall reported that, after years of earlier criticism, the post was thought to be the last straw for bosses, who considered his position untenable. On 19 May 2025, six days after the deletion, the BBC and Lineker announced he would leave altogether after the season’s final Match of the Day. Davie said: “Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season.” In an Instagram video, Lineker said he would “never, ever have shared” the post had he seen the emoji, which “has awful connotations,” and that it was “best for all concerned” that he “step down from BBC presenting duties altogether.”

Current Status #

Lineker presented his final Match of the Day on 25 May 2025, leaving the BBC far earlier than the previously agreed plan that would have kept him through the 2026 World Cup. The parting of ways also encompassed the licensing deal for Goalhanger’s podcast titles on BBC Sounds, which ends this year. Per Wikipedia, Goalhanger was named the UK’s fastest growing business in 2026; in December 2025 Lineker signed an agreement with Netflix to cover the 2026 World Cup on The Rest Is Football, later renewed for the 2026–27 Premier League season. In August 2026 he reposted a video of Jewish anti-Zionist activist Tony Greenstein, drawing criticism from The Telegraph.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The cancellation ended a BBC relationship Lineker described as “long and wonderful,” closing out thirty years he called “a pleasure and a huge privilege.” He lost the highest-profile hosting platform in British sports television along with FA Cup and World Cup assignments he had already been contracted to front. BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski called him “a brilliant broadcaster” in a note to staff, while pundit Alan Shearer’s reply to the farewell post — “Thank you for everything.” — captured the warmth of the send-off even as the exit was forced. The case has become a reference point in debates over whether broadcasters can employ stars who campaign on social media: Roger Mosey, a former director of BBC Sport, said the difficulty was that “you can’t both be the highest paid presenter and be a social media activist.” For Lineker the institutional platform is gone, but his independent media footprint grew through the Netflix deals and Goalhanger’s expansion; the precedent — a quarter-century tenure ended by one reposted image and the accumulated weight of prior rows — is stark.