English football’s great media celebrity Gary Lineker will leave his role as host of the BBC after facing criticism, as it republishes a story about Zionism, which features photos of rats.
The 64-year-old Lineker, the highest-paid host of NBC, has about £1.3 million ($2.42 million) a year, leaving behind flagship football highlights performances The competition of the day At the end of the season, but maintained other football reports with the BBC, including next year's Men's World Cup.
However, the BBC said in a statement on Monday that Lineker will resign completely from the company after the finals The competition of the day Next weekend, he decided to share an article from the Palestine Hall, which included a photo of a mouse titled “Explanation of Zionism in Two Minutes”.
Rats associated with disease and dirt have been used to represent Jews in anti-Semitic propaganda throughout history, including Nazis in Germany in the 1930s.
“Gary has admitted the mistake he made,” said BBC Director Tim Davie. “So we agree that he will step back in a further introduction after this season.”
His apology
Lineker has apologized for his actions, and last week he republished the material he later learned, which contained “offensive references” and added that he quit his post once he realized the issue and “never intentionally share anything anti-Semitism.”
Before Lineker apologized, David said the company needed people to be “a model of BBC values and to comply with our social media policies” and that “when someone makes a mistake, it costs us to lose.”
“Football has always been the core of my life as long as I remember being in the courts and in the studio,” Lineker said in a statement from the BBC. “I care so much about the game and the work I have done with the BBC over the years. As I said, I will never consciously reconclude anything anti-Semitism-it goes against everything I stand for.
“But I recognized the mistakes I made and felt frustrated and reiterated my regret. Taking a step back felt like a responsible course of action.”
Lineker said in another video post on Instagram that he made a “real mistake” and “should be more diligent.”
“I’m fighting for minority and humanitarian issues and all forms of racism, including anti-Semitism, which is definitely mine,” he said. “There’s no place, it should never be.”
Tension with the BBC
Lineker's openness to reflecting his political views on social media has caused increasing frictions from the BBC
An impartial guide.
He was temporarily suspended in March 2023 for comments criticizing the then-conservative government's new asylum policy. This led to the BBC’s rules on social media posts to show that hosts of high-profile shows outside the news “has a responsibility to respect the BBC’s impartiality because of their image to the BBC.”
Lineker is one of 500 high-profile figures who signed an open letter in February urging the BBC to re-broadcast the documentary, Gaza: How to survive in the war zoneto its streaming service, BBC iPlayer. After the documentary appeared, its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
Last week, the day after his initial apology, Lineker said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that Israel’s actions in the war with Hamas in the war in Gaza, saying those who remained silent about it were “almost accomplices.”
Lineker's career
The BBC lost its national treasure, almost known as the broadcaster and he is a football player.
Lineker is one of England's greatest players – he scored 48 goals for his country in 80 games and was the leading scorer for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico – he transitioned to TV show host, known for his sleek, witty and knowledgeable personality, with 8.7 million followers on Instagram, X and 1.2 million followers. He has always been the main host of the BBC The competition of the day Since 1999 and using his position as a freelancer to work for other broadcasters such as NBC, Al Jazeera and BT Sport.
Lineker is the club football of Everton, Tottenham and Barcelona, and is the co-founder of the highly successful defensive podcast, a popular maker What's left is history The series and its derivatives on politics, football, entertainment and money.
Response to departure
Lineker left the BBC and was welcomed by the anti-Semitism movement, saying he has become “a symbol of decay at the heart of our nation's broadcaster.”
The group added that Lineker was repeatedly allowed to abuse his stance on the BBC’s rules on impartiality to promote his growing propagandist politics, causing him to disagree with those who disagree, and even promote humanized and extreme messages. ”
“Gary has been an expression of the BBC football report for more than two decades,” David said. “His passion and knowledge shapes our sports news and has won the respect of sports fans in the UK and beyond. We want to thank him for his contribution.”
A day's game The late-night program that has been underway since the 1960s and is considered a UK institution, will be hosted by Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan in the 2025-26 season. None of them are former football players.
