Good riddance, Gary Lineker. The ex-England striker has now quit the Beeb in a huff, having presented his final Match of the Day show on Sunday. It comes after Lineker shared a social-media post featuring an ‘anti-Semitic’ rat emoji and declared that Israel’s response to the October 7 terrorist attacks was ‘beyond depraved’. Lineker – the Corporation’s highest-paid ‘star’ – had been due to host the BBC’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup but has now ended his contract early. Talk about an early bath…
The Sun got the scoop on his departure, reporting that ‘Gary agreed to leave the BBC for good after meeting bosses last week’, having realised that ‘his position was untenable.’ The paper quotes a source as saying: ‘It is a heartbreaking end to an extraordinary broadcasting career… He remains absolutely devastated by the recent turn of events and is deeply regretful about how his post was interpreted. His last Match of the Day will air on Sunday now and he won’t be back.’
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate, free for a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first month free.
UNLOCK ACCESS Try a month freeAlready a subscriber? Log in