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Lineker to leave BBC this week after social media row
The Independent
|May 19, 2025
Gary Lineker will leave the BBC this week after 26 years with the broadcaster, days after he apologised for inadvertently sharing a pro-Palestine social media post which featured a picture of a rat.
Lineker will walk away after his final Match of the Day show rather than staying to present future coverage such as the men’s 2026 World Cup, according to multiple reports.
The 64-year-old said he would “never knowingly share anything antisemitic” after reposting a video on his Instagram account from the group Palestine Lobby, titled “Zionism explained in two minutes”.
The post included an image of a rat, which Lineker said he was not aware of. Rats have been used to represent antisemitic propaganda throughout history, including by the Nazis in 1930s Germany.
Lineker’s apology was followed by the publication of an interview with the
This story is from the May 19, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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