England's Lineker leaves BBC after apologising for post that drew antisemitism complaints

By Sarah Young and Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) -Gary Lineker, a former England soccer captain who became the face of the sport on British TV, will leave the broadcaster after apologising for sharing a social media post about Zionism that drew complaints over antisemitism.

Lineker, 64, the golden boy of English soccer in the 1980s and early 1990s who scored 48 times for his country, moved into broadcasting after hanging up his boots, presenting the BBC's flagship 'Match of the Day' (MOTD) highlights show for 25 years.

The former striker, known for never receiving a yellow card during his 16-year playing career, was the broadcaster's highest paid star, but had repeatedly been cautioned by the officially neutral BBC for opining on politics.

Lineker said on Monday he would depart after Sunday's final matches of the season. He apologised "unreservedly" last week after sharing online material that criticised Zionism and featured a picture of a rat, historically used as an insult against Jews, which drew complaints from campaigners against antisemitism.

"Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season," BBC Director General Tim Davie said in a statement.

Lineker, who was paid 1.35 million pounds ($1.80 million), was already set to step down from MOTD this year but had been due to carry on fronting the BBC's 2026 World Cup coverage and next season's FA Cup matches.

He repeated his apology for reposting the Instagram post "that contained an emoji that has awful connotations", saying he would never consciously share anything antisemitic.

"It was a genuine mistake and oversight, but I should have been more diligent," he said in a video statement announcing his decision to step down. "I've stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues and against all forms of racism all of my life, including, of course, antisemitism, which I absolutely abhor."

STRONG VIEWS

After a playing career in which he scored 331 goals in 654 competitive games including stints at Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona, Lineker became one of Britain's most high-profile media figures.

The BBC long defended his high pay as deserved for a popular host of a flagship programme. He once appeared on MOTD in 2016 in his underpants to fulfil a vow after his boyhood club Leicester City won the Premier League.

But in recent years, his strong views on issues such as opposing Britain's exit from the EU made him a lightning rod for criticism from rightwing politicians as well as newspapers and other commercial rivals of the publicly funded BBC.

He was temporarily taken off air in 2023 after he criticised the then-Conservative government's immigration policy, but was reinstated after a public backlash and near mutiny at the broadcaster.

Lineker will still be busy once he has stepped down. He is the co-founder of a podcasting production business, Goalhanger, which makes the hugely popular "The Rest Is..." podcasts on topics including soccer, history and politics.

($1 = 0.7490 pounds)

(Reporting by Sarah Young; writing by Michael Holden)