'I regret not pulling Gary Lineker up on the crass behaviour I witnessed'
Gary Lineker has been slammed in a scathing rant for "damaging the reputation of the BBC by making it all about him".
The star, 64, will leave his presenting role at the BBC after this weekend's Match of the Day episode, and will no longer front the corporation's coverage of the 2026 World Cup or the FA Cup next season following a social media video he shared recently. The post about Zionism, which featured a picture of a rat, was branded "completely unacceptable" by Downing Street.
Lineker, who began presenting the iconic BBC show in 1999, has faced fierce criticism for the post, including from those who have known or met him. Peter Bleksley, former undercover detective at Scotland Yard, recalled an encounter with Lineker in 2019, during which he says the former England international "unnecessarily snapped" at a young TV production assistant.
"At one point a young female member of the team – probably fresh out of university – asked a perfectly innocent question and he unnecessarily snapped back at her. To this day, I regret that I didn't pull him up on it," Mr Bleksley wrote for Mail Online.
Lineker was praised for swiftly apologising for his Zionism post. He called his actions "a genuine mistake and oversight" in the unreserved apology. The host, who is the BBC's highest-paid presenter, added: "I would like once again to say I'm sorry, unreservedly, for the hurt and upset caused, it was a genuine mistake and oversight, but I should have been more diligent, I know that."
But Mr Bleksley's piece is a rather detailed article, recalling the advertising shoot he was on with the former footballer. Mr Bleksley continued: "All day long, he had the air of a man who wanted to be somewhere else. The only time he looked remotely happy was when he was talking about himself but that didn't always go well."
Lineker declined to answer reporters' questions as he left his southwest London home on Monday afternoon amid the backlash. He has received support from colleagues, including Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, both of whom have left poignant posts on social media.
However, Lineker, who made nearly 200 appearances for Leicester City and also dazzled for Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur, has sparked controversy in the past with his outspoken views. In 2023, he was taken off the air for an episode of Match of the Day following comments about Conservative government language. The presenter wrote: "We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries... 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?"
Alluding to Lineker's previous, Mr Bleksley continued: "He has repeatedly and excessively pushed the boundaries and by doing so damaged the reputation of the BBC by making it all about him."
Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman will replace the star and share the presenting role on Match Of The Day from the next Premier League season.
Tim Davie, BBC director-general, said in a statement: "Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season. His passion and knowledge have shaped our sports journalism, and earned him the respect of sports fans across the UK and beyond."
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Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion These traitors know what they're doing. Fortunately, tension defuses as we break to play a game. We solve clues to find numbers hidden around the room, which we then put in the correct order by communicating with 'the dead' – the players who have either been banished or murdered, and are now watching us on TV from a nearby room. Unlike the TV show, in which these tasks earn contestants money for the prize pot, we get points for our total on the daily leaderboard. As we go back into another debate, it turns out that my dogged voting for the same player is paying off. Enough other people have become suspicious, and he is evicted. 'What a relief,' he announces before he leaves the room. 'I was a traitor.' Suddenly, people are looking at me differently. 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The Traitors: Live Experience is in Covent Garden, London.
