Gary Lineker has quit the BBC in the wake of another scandal. Lineker, 64, has left early amid the backlash to a social media post on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The former England striker released a statement on Monday confirming he would be leaving the BBC earlier than originally planned and would no longer be hosting their coverage of the 2026 World Cup.
Lineker, who is the BBC's highest paid employee, will leave without a pay off after presenting this Sunday's Match of the Day.
He will continue to focus on podcasts, through his Goalhanger Podcasts production company, and has been tipped to join ITV.
Continue reading to see how the story developed on Monday via Mirror Football...
Gary Lineker's final appearance on the BBC will be fronting Match of the Day on Sunday night.
It will be the final day of the Premier League season and, instead of focusing on the race for the Champions League places, unfortunately it will be overshadowed (for many) by the presenter.
Lineker has a deep love for MOTD and will surely be sad at how things will be ending.
Cardiff City winger Anwar El Ghazi has applauded Gary Lineker for leaving the BBC "as a consequence of standing for justice and humanity".
El Ghazi, who previously played for clubs including Ajax and Aston Villa, has frequently used his profile to speak out about the Gaza conflict.
He posted on X: "Gary Lineker, losing your job as a consequence of standing for justice and humanity is a badge of honour. There will always be people who seek to misconsture what you say, but the world knows, and your legacy will testify, that you stood on the right side of humanity."
Gary Lineker has made a serious misstep and once again it involves social media - but he will bounce back from this, no doubt.
Lineker is a huge name. He goes beyond football and even beyond sport. He's a household name with a huge following on social media, and, as all the rumours of an upcoming appearance on Strictly Come Dancing or I'm A Celebrity make clear, he will have offers.
Lineker has previously hinted that he is not desperate to continue presenting football elsewhere. And he's at the point now where his podcast, The Rest Is Football, has a gigantic following which can earn him and his production company, Goalhanger Podcasts, a chunky pay packet.
So, what I expect him to do, is lay low for a while once the Premier League season is over, and then make a low-key return to public life in an audio format. Once it all blows over - and if there's one thing we've learnt, it does always blow over - he can return to our screens, if he wants.
Speaking to FourFourTwo recently, Lineker said he could have jumped ship from the BBC earlier to earn more elsewhere.
"We've had talks with Sky at various points, but I always wanted to stick with the BBC," he said. "I could have earned a lot more, though I know I've been well paid anyway, obviously.
"I've had offers to go elsewhere but I just loved being with the BBC, and also how it helps everything else you do."
Gary Lineker will not receive a payoff from the BBC after bosses lost patience with the corporation's highest paid presenter.
The Times report that there will be no financial package on offer for Lineker upon his departure, with the suggestion that he made the choice to go inaccurate.
Gary Lineker will walk away from his presitigious role with the BBC, but he already has another job ready-made.
Lineker's podcast company, Goalhanger Podcasts, produce 13 shows, including The Rest Is Football, which Lineker does with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, and it is big business.
With podcasts like The Rest Is History and The Rest Is Politics under their umbrella, the company pulls in more than 40million monthly downloads.
The director general of the BBC, Tim Davie, has commented: "Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season.
"Gary has been a defining voice in football coverage for the BBC for over two decades. 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."
Could we see Gary Lineker on ITV?
Bookmakers William Hill have odds of just 3/1 for Lineker to be part of ITV's team for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Wouldn't that be a sight.
An equivalent to his Match of the Day role seems unlikely, but he may continue in the football broadcasting world in some capacity.
He has been involved in coverage of other sports in the past, so we can't rule that out, while he may decide to move away from sport altogether.
In a recent interview with The Times, Gary Lineker explained why he feels the time is right to leave Match of the Day.
“I think I’m a better presenter now than I’ve ever been,” he said.
“I know everything that can go wrong, and everything that can go right. Which is a good time to go.”
Richie Driss, who has presented BBC shows and hosted football documentary 'The Special 1', has also shared a message of thanks to Lineker.
"Thank you for being an inspiration to me as a broadcaster when I was at the BBC, but infinitely more so as a person who consistently stands up for those far less fortunate," Driss wrote.
"Your class and integrity should genuinely be held up as an example for us all to follow."
Gary Lineker has been snapped outside his London home after confirming his BBC exit.
The presenter will have time to decide what's in store next after he leaves the broadcaster at the end of this season.
Alan Shearer has worked with Gary Lineker more than most, so it was no surprise to see his name among those in the comments alongside the outgoing presenter's Instagram video.
Shearer has been a regular on Match of the Day, also working on Lineker-fronted live coverage for the BBC.
"Thank you for everything," wrote Shearer, alongside black and white heart emojis.
While we don't have a title race on the horizon for Lineker's Match of the Day farewell, it's still going to be a high-drama show.
Just one point separates third-placed Newcastle and seventh-placed Nottingham Forest, though Manchester City - in the middle of that pack - have a game in hand.
Forest's meeting with Chelsea is arguably the most eye-catching final day fixture, but there will be plenty on the line as Newcastle host Everton, City travel to Fulham and fellow Champions League chasers Aston Villa take on Manchester United.
He has admitted the final show will be difficult with so many variables across the board - even if the title battle and relegation fight have long been over.
Comedian John Bishop has sent his well-wishes to Lineker after the host's BBC exit was confirmed.
"Gary you leave a great legacy as a player , as a presenter and as a man," he wrote.
"Good luck with everything else you do next."
Iwan Thomas, who ran for team GB at two Olympic Games and has worked on the BBC's sports coverage, has shared a message of his own.
"Always been a proper gentleman since met and occasionally worked with since the mid 90s," he wrote under Lineker's Instagram post.
"Without doubt one of, if not the BEST broadcasters of my generation, oh and not bad at sticking a ball in the net too... good luck in the future."
The BBC's director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, has just sent this email to staff.
"You will have seen in the past few minutes that Gary Lineker will be leaving the BBC at the end of the current football season...
"I appreciate the last week has been difficult and emotional for many of you. Thank you for all the messages and conversations, even if some of them weren’t easy to have. And I hope you understand that I had to wait until now to tell you the news.
"It is sad to be saying goodbye to such a brilliant broadcaster and I also want to thank Gary for his years of service. As ever, if you have questions, you know where I am.
"Let's finish the season strongly with Gary's final show, enjoy an incredible summer of sport and look forward with excitement to what lies ahead."
It was BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski who took a key role in the decision not to hand Lineker a new contract, and he spoke about the host back in November.
“Gary is a world-class presenter, and we’re delighted that he’ll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup," Kay-Jelski said, months before the latest controversy.
“After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week. He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football.”
Nubaid Haroon, who has worked for Sky Sports and BBC Sport among others, was one of the first to thank Lineker after the broadcaster's Instagram post.
"Truly remarkable human and the absolute best sports broadcaster I’ve ever seen," he wrote.
"BBC will miss you. Thank you for standing up for minorities throughout your entire career."
“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.
“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 recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”
Gary Lineker has confirmed his BBC departure.
He said "stepping back feels like the responsible course of action".
We'll have more fall-out from the news as it comes in.
The BBC is moving towards a trio of hosts once Lineker leaves Match of the Day.
Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates will share hosting duties between them from the start of next season onwards.
Lineker has been far and away the longest-serving host of the show, taking the helm for the first time in 1999.
In previous interviews, Lineker has suggested he won't take up another football presenting role on TV once he leaves the BBC.
"I think I'll step back from that now... I think I'll probably focus more on the podcast world," he said in a BBC interview in 2023.
"I don't think you'll see me doing much football, apart from the podcast," he added in a separate conversation with FourFourTwo.
"I'll do the odd thing, but I don't think you'll see me appearing regularly on another channel."
When Gary Lineker leaves his BBC responsibilities, he will have plenty of other work to get stuck into.
His Goalhanger Podcasts side-project is home to a number of titles, including Lineker's own The Rest is Football.
Other podcasts under the banner include The Rest is Politics and The Rest is Entertainment, as well as another sports title in the form of Football Cliches.
After Lineker was removed from Match of the Day for an episode in 2023, others stepped away from the show in solidarity, and the presenter was moved by the gesture.
"I must admit, I had a tear in my eye. It just moved me, it was beautiful," he told The Rest is Politics.
"When it first happened...it's one thing saying that in a moment, but then actually to carry that through, they didn't need to do that."
On Sunday, the focus of Lineker's Instagram account was the final Everton men's game at Goodison Park.
He enjoyed a fruitful spell at Everton as a player, and shared a message on his Instagram stories after David Moyes' side said goodbye to the ground with a win against Southampton.
"Goodbye to Goodison Park," he wrote. "It was an absolute honour and a joy to play there for Everton. So many wonderful memories. You'll be missed."
Former BBC broadcaster John Humphrys once called Lineker's seven-figure BBC salary "outrageous".
Lineker's pay once stood at £1.75million before a self-imposed cut brought it down by around a quarter.
"We don't know how much, so ask me when we know. I don't know," Humphrys said in 2019, around the time that cut was confirmed.
"I thought £1.75million for a wee bit of chatting was outrageous."
Back in 2023, Lineker was taken off the air for an episode of Match of the Day following comments about Conservative government language.
"We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries," he wrote.
"This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?"
"Why shouldn't I have an opinion on things?" Lineker asked in the same interview with Rajan "I've always been strong on humanitarian issues and always will be, and that's me.
"The goalposts were massively moved because it was never an issue until, suddenly, this point.
"It was always stipulated in the BBC guidelines that in terms of impartiality, it was for people who work in news and current affairs. I am very, very thoughtful about what I say. They took me off air and it was a silly overreaction."
