Gary Lineker leaves BBC as soon as possible after anti-Semitism controversy

The company confirmed that football expert Gary Lineker will leave the BBC faster than the anti-Semitism track.

Last week, Lineker shared a social media article about Zionism, which contains an illustration of a mouse, a detailed description of a historically used as an anti-Semitic insult. The host apologized, saying he would never intentionally share anything anti-Semitic.

"Gary Lineker will leave his position after the game ends on the 2024/25 season day," the BBC said in a statement on Monday. "He will not be part of the BBC coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season."

BBC Director Tim Davie said: “Gary admitted his mistakes. So we agree that he will step back in a further introduction after the season. Gary has been the decisive voice of BBC football coverage for two decades. His passion and knowledge shapes our sports news and has earned him the respect of sports fans throughout the UK. We thank him for his respect.

Lineker added: "Football (football) has always been the heart of my life, both on the court and in the studio. 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 reinspire anything anti-Semitism, but my regret and sorry, I regret it. Action."

This is not Lineker's first controversy. The BBC had a "candid dialogue" with Star after criticizing the government's asylum policy in 2023, comparing the language to "with the language used in Germany in the 1930s." ”

In response, the BBC determined that he violated their social media guidelines and Lineker was asked to back off for a few days.

Earlier this month, Lineker appeared to criticize BBC Sport's new boss Alex Kay-Jelski, who told Telegram that he had "no TV experience" while urging him not to change "a day's game."

And, in an interview with BBC's Amol Rajan, Ryanke said he felt the BBC was leaving last year while negotiating a new contract.

When asked last week whether Lineker violated his post rules, he replied: "When it comes to the host, I just say that the BBC reputation is held by everyone, and when someone makes a mistake, it's our social media policy and I think we absolutely need people to be a model of BBC values."