Gary Lineker believes BBC wanted him to leave as he regrets tweets ‘damage’
By Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter
Gary Lineker has said he thinks the BBC wanted him to leave Match Of The Day – with the former footballer adding that he “didn’t like the damage” done by his controversial tweeting.
The 64-year-old outgoing MOTD host will leave the corporation after fronting its coverage of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Lineker, who has worked as a presenter on the highlights programme since 1999, told the BBC’s Amol Rajan: “It’s time (to leave). I’ve done it for a long time, it’s been brilliant, it’s been great… Well, perhaps they want me to leave… There was a sense of that.
“I always wanted one more contract. It was their preference that I didn’t do Match Of The Day for one more year so they could bring in new people, so it’s slightly unusual that I would do the FA Cup and the World Cup, but, to be honest, it’s a scenario that suits me perfectly.”
A trio of presenters – Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan – will replace him on MOTD.
Lineker was also grilled about the furore in March 2023 over his tweet comparing the then British government’s asylum policy with 1930s Germany.
The former England striker was briefly taken off air, and other sports journalists and presenters walked out in solidarity, before he returned to fronting MOTD.
Lineker said: “I don’t regret saying them publicly, because I was right – what I said, it was accurate – so not at all in that sense.
“Would I, in hindsight, do it again? No, I wouldn’t, because of all the nonsense that came with it… It was a ridiculous overreaction that was just a reply to someone that was being very rude. And I wasn’t particularly rude back.”
He added: “But I wouldn’t do it again because of all the kerfuffle that followed, and I love the BBC, and I didn’t like the damage that it did to the BBC… But do I regret it and do I think it was the wrong thing to do? No.”
His tweets, which sparked a row about BBC presenters expressing political views on social media, led to enhanced rules for BBC flagship presenters, including a ban on making attacks on political parties.
Lineker ruled himself out of a career in politics, saying he has “never had a view”, before laughing.
“I think I’ll probably focus more on the podcast world, because it’s such a fun business and it’s just been so incredible,” he added.
His company, Goalhanger Podcasts, founded in 2019, has released popular podcasts such as The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Entertainment, and The Rest Is Football, which he co-hosts with MOTD colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
Lineker has been the BBC’s highest-paid on-air talent for seven consecutive years and was estimated to have earned €1.57 million (£1.35 million) in the year 2023/24, according to the corporation’s annual report published in July.
When he stepped down, it was reported that he was open to staying on at MOTD but was not offered a new deal for the show.
He will also host BBC Sport’s coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025-26 season, continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast and the BBC will also host The Rest Is Football podcast, featuring Lineker, on BBC Sounds.
