Gary Lineker to step down from the BBC after sharing social media post on Zionism

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Gary Lineker, the England soccer great-turned-media celebrity, will leave his role as a presenter for the BBC after facing criticism for reposting an Instagram story about Zionism which featured a picture of a rat.

The 64-year-old Lineker, who is the British national broadcaster’s highest-paid presenter on about 1.3 million pounds ($1.7 million) a year, was set to leave flagship soccer highlights show “Match of the Day” at the end of this season but remain with the BBC to front other soccer coverage, including next year’s men’s World Cup.

However, the BBC said Monday in a statement that Lineker will step down entirely from the corporation after the final “Match of the Day” episode next weekend in the wake of his decision to share a post from the group, Palestine Lobby, illustrated with a picture of a rat, titled: “Zionism explained in two minutes.”

Rats, linked to disease and dirt, have been used to represent Jews in antisemitic propaganda throughout history, including by the Nazis in 1930s Germany.

“Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made,” BBC director-general Tim Davie said. “Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season.”

Lineker had already apologized for his conduct, saying last week he reposted material which he subsequently learned contained “offensive references,” adding that he withdrew the post as soon as he became aware of the issue and “would never knowingly share anything antisemitic.”

Before Lineker’s apology, Davie said the corporation needed people to be the “exemplars of BBC values and follow our social media policies” and that “when someone makes a mistake, it costs us.”

“Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember — both on the pitch and in the studio,” Lineker said in the BBC statement. “I care deeply about the game, and about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years. As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic — it goes against everything I stand for.

“However, I recognize the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”

In a separate video post on Instagram, Lineker said he had made a “genuine mistake” and “should have been more diligent.”

“I have stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues and all forms of racism all of my life, including of course antisemitism, which I absolutely abhor,” he said. “There’s no place for it, and never should be.”

Strained relationship with the BBC

Lineker’s openness to reflect his political views on social media have caused growing friction with the BBC regarding its impartiality guidelines.

He was temporarily suspended from the corporation in March 2023 over comments he made criticizing the then-Conservative government’s new asylum policy. It led to the BBC’s rules on social media posts being rewritten to say presenters of high-profile programs outside news had a “responsibility to respect the BBC’s impartiality, because of their profile on the BBC.”

Lineker was among 500 high-profile figures who signed an open letter in February urging the BBC to re-broadcast a documentary, “Gaza: How to Survive a War Zone,” to its streaming service, BBC iPlayer. The documentary was pulled after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.

Last week, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph newspaper that came a day after his initial apology, Lineker spoke out about the conduct of Israel in the war against Hamas in Gaza, saying those who stayed silent about it were “almost complicit.”

Lineker’s media career

The BBC has lost something of a national treasure who has become almost as well known a broadcaster as he was a soccer player.

Lineker is one of England’s greatest players — he scored 48 goals in 80 games for his country and was the leading scorer at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico — who transitioned into being a slick, witty and knowledgeable TV personality and an all-around media darling, with 8.7 million followers on X and 1.2 million followers on Instagram. He has been the main presenter of BBC’s “Match of the Day” since 1999 and used his status as a freelancer to work for other broadcasters such as NBC, Al Jazeera and BT Sport.

Lineker, who played his club soccer for Everton, Tottenham and Barcelona, is the co-founder of the hugely successful “Goalhanger” podcasts — the maker of the popular “The Rest is History” series and its spin-offs about politics, soccer, entertainment and money.

Reaction to Lineker’s departure

Lineker’s departure from the BBC was welcomed by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which said he had become “a symbol of the rot at the heart of our national broadcaster.”

Lineker, the group added, was “repeatedly allowed to flout the BBC’s own rules on impartiality, abusing his position to promote his increasingly propagandist politics, vilifying those he disagrees with, and even promoting dehumanizing and extreme messages.”

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Lineker has accepted that being outspoken with his views would make him a target but, for many, it has strengthened his status as one of Britain’s most popular figures.

“Gary has been a defining voice in football coverage for the BBC for over two decades,” Davie said. “His passion and knowledge have shaped our sports journalism and earned him the respect of sports fans across the UK and beyond. We want to thank him for the contribution he has made.”

“Match of the Day” — a late-night program that has been running since the 1960s and is regarded as an institution in Britain — will be hosted by Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan for the start of the 2025-26 season. None of them are former soccer players.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer