Latest news with #Lineker
Scottish Sun
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Gary Lineker slams BBC for ‘losing their way' and ‘tying themselves up in knots' in first interview after MOTD axe
Lineker was ousted from his position on the football show following criticism when he shared a social media post about Zionism GARY HAS HIS SAY Gary Lineker slams BBC for 'losing their way' and 'tying themselves up in knots' in first interview after MOTD axe Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GARY Lineker says the BBC has 'lost their way' when it comes to impartiality in his first interview since he left Match Of The Day following an anti-semitism row. And in a talk at Glastonbury festival, he revealed that the Corporation had announced his exit before even making him aware of their decision. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up Lineker was ousted from his position on the football show following criticism when he shared a social media post about Zionism, for which he later apologised. Gary, 64, said: 'The impartiality issue has become a massive problem that I think they've probably created themselves by the rules that have been set within the business. 'I understand in your news and current affairs they have to be generally impartial but, I mean, it is hot today right? I think we can all say that we don't need someone to come in to tell us it's actually not hot. 'We just need to know the truth. 'I think they've lost their way a little bit with that and there's a degree of impartiality at the very top of the BBC. 'There are thousands of amazing people at the BBC but it's not reflected at the top. 'They've tried themselves up in knots with it.' Gary had intended to leave the flagship show after this summer's World Cup but instead hosted his last Match of the Day on June 26. Admitting his upset at his ill-judged post, which Gary says 'gave people ammunition to shoot me,' he added: 'I had a little group chat back then, particularly with Ian Wright and Alan Shearer. 'I said, I've got a feeling they're going to take me off air on Saturday and Ian Wright immediately said 'if they do that I'm going to go'. Gary Lineker apologises for antisemitic post and confirms he's quitting BBC next week 'So the next day they announced I wasn't doing the show. 'They actually announced it without telling me first. 'I just thought what's the point of having a big platform if you don't use it to kind of push beliefs that you believe to be right.' But he later shared: 'I love the BBC. I always will and I'm not bitter or twisted about anything that happened.' He also showed his support for political hip hop trio Kneecap and said at the end of his talk at Glastonbury: 'Free Palestine.'
Scottish Sun
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I was replaced on the BBC by Gary Lineker and haven't spoken to him since, I knew he was the wrong man in the wrong job
The presenter also took a swipe at the BBC LINE-D UP I was replaced on the BBC by Gary Lineker and haven't spoken to him since, I knew he was the wrong man in the wrong job Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) GARY LINEKER was the wrong man to present the BBC's live golf coverage, claims the man he replaced. Steve Rider, who hung up his mic over the weekend, left the Beeb in 2005 to join ITV. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Gary Lineker previously hosted the BBC's golf coverage Credit: Getty 3 Steve Rider hung up his mic over the weekend Credit: Getty With Rider, now 75, having presented the BBC's live golf coverage prior to his exit, the Corporation opted to replace him with Match of the Day host Lineker. Rider initially kept quiet about his replacement, until in 2015 when Lineker took a swipe at the R&A in St Andrews. The former England captain was upset with the R&A's decision to flog rights to the Open, previously held by the Beeb, to Sky Sports. Lineker called the R&A "pompous" and "superior" - which Rider took issue with. READ MORE ON GARY LINEKER BLOCKED BY BEEB Lineker's BBC feud worsens as final interview with Mo Salah is BLOCKED The veteran presenter called Lineker at the time "the wrong man in the wrong job", before adding: "Gary was honest enough to step aside from the golf, but his attack on the R&A was sour and misguided in the extreme." Rider has now claimed that Lineker "blundered" into politics during an interview with the Telegraph. Reflecting on the presenter's controversial BBC exit, Rider added: "To put forward his opinions so energetically, you need to step outside the framework of the BBC. "That message was never convincingly conveyed to him by the BBC, and that's where they are at fault. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 3 Lineker, 64, has left the BBC in controversial circumstances Credit: PA "He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. He needed to be saved from himself. So, there was a kind of inevitability about it." Rider has not spoken to Lineker since criticising his swipe at the R&A a decade ago. Legendary BBC and ITV commentator retires after glittering 48-year career as sporting icons say goodbye During his stint with the BBC, Rider hosted Sports Personality of the Year alongside Des Lynam. Taking aim at the current incarnation of SPOTY, the outgoing ITV stalwart said: "The commercial aspect took over. "The thinking was, 'Let's take it to a 5,000-seat arena with a big shiny floor'. It killed the chemistry. "Unfortunately, this happened just as the BBC's involvement in sport started declining. "Now it's very, very uncomfortable to see. It's not the type of programme you would invent now. "It has become a bit of a ball and chain.'
The Irish Sun
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I was replaced on the BBC by Gary Lineker and haven't spoken to him since, I knew he was the wrong man in the wrong job
GARY LINEKER was the wrong man to present the BBC's live golf coverage, claims the man he replaced. Steve Rider, who 3 Gary Lineker previously hosted the BBC's golf coverage Credit: Getty 3 Steve Rider hung up his mic over the weekend Credit: Getty With Rider, now 75, having presented the BBC's live golf coverage prior to his exit, the Corporation opted to replace him with Match of the Day host Lineker. Rider initially kept quiet about his replacement, until in 2015 when Lineker took a swipe at the R&A in St Andrews. The former Lineker called the R&A "pompous" and "superior" - which Rider took issue with. READ MORE ON GARY LINEKER The veteran presenter called Lineker at the time "the wrong man in the wrong job", before adding: "Gary was honest enough to step aside from the golf, but his attack on the R&A was sour and misguided in the extreme." Rider has now claimed that Lineker "blundered" into politics during an interview with the Reflecting on the presenter's controversial BBC exit, Rider added: "To put forward his opinions so energetically, you need to step outside the framework of the BBC. "That message was never convincingly conveyed to him by the BBC, and that's where they are at fault. Most read in Golf BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 3 Lineker, 64, has left the BBC in controversial circumstances Credit: PA "He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. He needed to be saved from himself. So, there was a kind of inevitability about it." Rider has not spoken to Lineker since criticising his swipe at the R&A a decade ago. Legendary BBC and ITV commentator retires after glittering 48-year career as sporting icons say goodbye During his stint with the BBC, Rider hosted Sports Personality of the Year alongside Des Lynam. Taking aim at the current incarnation of SPOTY, the outgoing ITV stalwart said: "The commercial aspect took over. "The thinking was, 'Let's take it to a 5,000-seat arena with a big shiny floor'. It killed the chemistry. "Unfortunately, this happened just as the BBC's involvement in sport started declining. "Now it's very, very uncomfortable to see. It's not the type of programme you would invent now. "It has become a bit of a ball and chain.'
Daily Record
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Gary Lineker nicked my job at the BBC and we haven't spoken in 20 years
Steve Rider has been left unimpressed by Lineker's career with the Beeb which came to an end earlier this year Steve Rider has acknowledged that he hasn't spoken to Gary Lineker for a long time and harbours resentment over being replaced by the ex-Match of the Day host for BBC golf coverage. Rider, who's embarking on retirement after 45 years in national television, including recent work on ITV4's British Touring Car Championship, has been an iconic figure in sports broadcasting. His extensive career includes coverage of major events such as Olympic Games, Rugby World Cup, F ormula One - notably Ayrton Senna's tragic accident at Imola - and the Champions League working with both ITV and BBC. Beginning his career at ITV, Rider switched to the BBC where he served nearly two decades before heading back to ITV in 2005. While at the BBC, Rider was the principal golf presenter, covering prestigious tournaments like the Ryder Cup, the Open and the Masters. His departure saw a surprising choice in former England footballer Lineker to become the new face of BBC golf, which disappointed Rider substantially. It wasn't until 2015, following Lineker's controversial comments labelling the RandA 'pompous' and suggesting they saw themselves as 'superior beings', that Rider decided to publicly voice his opinions, reports the Mirror. Speaking to the Golf Paper, Rider gave his blunt assessment: "I hold Gary Lineker in the highest regard as a football presenter, but his reflections on his experiences as a golf presenter need a huge reality check. "For four years, the RandA and most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job. Hazel Irvine has just delivered once again at the Open presentation skills of the highest quality. Not many people can do that and Gary certainly came up short. "Roger Mosey, the head of sport, knew Gary was a golf fanatic and was further encouraged by Gary apparently volunteering for the Masters vacancy within a few minutes of my exit from Television Centre. "But if Mosey thought long and hard before offering Gary the golf job, it's even more baffling. Match of the Day is scripted and rehearsed. Golf presentation, especially at Augusta, is seat of the pants, unpredictable and demanding." Rider hasn't spoken to Lineker since then, as reported by The Telegraph. Now the 75 year old has given his opinion on Lineker's recent departure from the BBC. Lineker hosted his last Match of the Day programme last month. He was anticipated to leave next year, after the World Cup, but his exit was pushed forward following an Instagram post criticising Zionism, accompanied by an image of a rat. Lineker has claimed he wasn't aware of the historical context of rats being used to portray Jews in anti-Semitic imagery. "To put forward his opinions so energetically, you need to step outside the framework of the BBC," Rider asserts. "That message was never convincingly conveyed to him by the BBC, and that's where they are at fault. He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. "He needed to be saved from himself. So, there was a kind of inevitability about it."
Daily Mirror
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Gary Lineker stole my BBC job - he was wrong man and we haven't spoken since'
Steve Rider is hanging up his microphone after a long career in sports broadcasting, but the former BBC and ITV presenter has taken aim at Gary Lineker on his way out Steve Rider admits he hasn't spoken to Gary Lineker for years and still resents being replaced by the former Match of the Day presenter on the BBC's golf coverage. Rider is heading into retirement after 45 years on national television, having most recently hosted coverage of the British Touring Car Championship on ITV4. He has also covered the Olympic Games, the Rugby World Cup, Formula One - famously covering Ayrton Senna's death at Imola - and the Champions League during his time with ITV and the BBC, becoming widely known as one of the safest names in sports broadcasting. Rider started his career at ITV before moving to the BBC, spending nearly two decades with the corporation before returning to ITV in 2005. During his tenure with the Beeb, he served as the BBC's lead golf presenter, covering major tournaments including the Ryder Cup, the Open and the Masters. But when he departed, former England star Lineker was the surprise choice to be the new face of golf a decision that left Rider unimpressed. He stayed silent on the subject until 2015, when Lineker infamously described the R&A as 'pompous' and accused them of feeling like 'superior beings'. It prompted a stinging response from Rider. In an interview with the Golf Paper, Rider stated: "I hold Gary Lineker in the highest regard as a football presenter, but his reflections on his experiences as a golf presenter need a huge reality check. "For four years, the R&A and most other observers knew that Gary was the wrong man in the wrong job. Hazel Irvine has just delivered once again at the Open presentation skills of the highest quality. Not many people can do that and Gary certainly came up short. "Roger Mosey, the head of sport, knew Gary was a golf fanatic and was further encouraged by Gary apparently volunteering for the Masters vacancy within a few minutes of my exit from Television Centre. "But if Mosey thought long and hard before offering Gary the golf job, it's even more baffling. Match of the Day is scripted and rehearsed. Golf presentation, especially at Augusta, is seat of the pants, unpredictable and demanding." Rider hasn't spoken to Lineker since then, as reported by The Telegraph. Now the 75 year old has had his say on Lineker's recent exit from the BBC. Lineker presented his final Match of the Day last month. He had been expected to leave the company next year, after the World Cup, but saw his permanent departure brought forwards, following an Instagram post that saw him criticise Zionism with a post featuring an image of a rat. Lineker insisted he was unaware of the historical use of rats to represent Jews in anti-semitic propaganda. 'To put forward his opinions so energetically, you need to step outside the framework of the BBC,' says Rider. 'That message was never convincingly conveyed to him by the BBC, and that's where they are at fault. He needed people looking after him before he pressed the button on some fairly volatile retweets. "He needed to be saved from himself. So, there was a kind of inevitability about it.'
