Gary Lineker, a renowned presenter and former footballer, has expressed his belief that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) wanted him to leave their flagship football programme, Match of the Day. This revelation came during negotiations for a new contract last year.
In November, both Lineker and the BBC announced that he would be stepping down from Match of the Day. However, he will continue hosting World Cup and FA Cup coverage. When asked why he chose to leave despite his successful tenure on the show, Lineker suggested that it might have been what the corporation wanted.
The BBC did not comment on this suggestion directly but praised Lineker as a "world-class presenter" when announcing his departure. The corporation also noted that Match of the Day is continually evolving in response to changing viewing habits.
New presenters take over
A new trio of presenters - Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan - was announced in January following Lineker's departure. Despite high ratings for Match of The Day under his stewardship and enjoying his job immensely, Lineker felt there was an underlying desire from BBC for him to step down.
Lineker explained that decisions about contract length were complicated by broadcasting rights cycles for matches.
Gary Lineker, BBC pundit, said:
"I always wanted one more contract, and I was umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether to do three years [more],"
"In the end, I think there was a feeling that, because it was a new rights period, it was a chance to change the programme,"
"I think 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."
Controversial comments lead to suspension
Linekar also addressed comments made on social media in March 2023 criticising government immigration policy which led to his suspension from BBC. The suspension sparked solidarity from other sports presenters, a gesture that moved Lineker.
Despite the controversy and damage to the BBC, Lineker expressed no regret for his stance but admitted he would not repeat such actions in future. His comments reignited debates about BBC's impartiality guidance on social media and its application to presenters outside of news and current affairs. Lineker recently made headlines again when he joined 500 other high-profile figures in signing an open letter urging the BBC to reinstate a documentary about Gaza on iPlayer. The documentary was pulled from the streaming service after it was revealed that its 13-year-old narrator was related to a Hamas official.
Despite his departure from Match of The Day, Linekar remains connected with football through his podcasts which have been picked up by BBC Sounds as part of a deal with the corporation. This new chapter allows him to continue sharing insights into football while catering to changing audience preferences.
