Cultural Editor
PA MediaGary Lineker is expected to leave the BBC on Monday.
It is speculated that the 64-year-old will resign after showing his last game next weekend.
Lineker was listed as the BBC’s top host, and was scheduled to be the BBC’s announcement at the end of the season that he would announce in the game that day, although he would stay at the forefront of the game by the end of the season.
But last week, he had to apologize after sharing social media articles about Zionism, including an illustration of a mouse, historically used as an anti-Semitic insult.
Lineker said he regretted the reference very much, adding that he would never intentionally share any anti-Semitism and that the post was removed once he understood the symbolism of the image.
Last week, BBC Director-General Tim Davie said: “The BBC’s reputation is held by everyone and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us.”
It is understood that the BBC boss believes that Lineker’s location is incredible.
The former England striker has been criticized in social media posts in the past.
In his statement, he said that the language used to promote government asylum policy “is no different from the languages used in Germany in the 1930s, and he was temporarily suspended from the BBC in March 2023.
The BBC’s social media rules were then rewritten to speak out that the hosts of the flagship show (including the matches of the day) had a “special responsibility to respect the BBC’s impartiality because of their profile on the BBC”.
In November 2024, Lineker announced that he left the game for the day, but said he would stay with the BBC’s report on the FA Cup and World Cup.
Lineker said in an interview earlier this year that he believed the BBC was in talks with a new contract last year, saying: “Okay, maybe they want me to leave. There’s that feeling.”
The BBC did not comment on Lineker’s advice at the time, but called him a “world-class presenter” and added that the day’s game “continuously evolved to change viewing habits”.
Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan announced new speakers for the show in the 2025-26 season.
Lineker has not publicly commented on his departure from the BBC.
In an interview last month, Lineker also reviewed his 2023 tweet, saying he didn’t regret the comments, adding: “Will I do it again afterwards? No, I won’t, because of all the nonsense that comes with it.”
Speaking to BBC’s Amol Rajan, he said his next career move “will not be more TV”, adding: “I think I’m taking a step back now, I think I’ll probably focus more on the podcast world.”
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