LINEKER GONE FROM BBC

It's a shame, he is a great presenter, most people dislike him for his politics rather than his presenting skills, ITV will probably take him in. Mark Chapman should take over. To sack him just before the season ends but letting him do the Cup final is stupid, might as well have got rid before, looks like they've bowed to public pressure.


Kind Regards.

I think they'll let him do one last MotD next Sunday, buy maybe not...

He's a decent enough presenter but nobody is worth that kind of money just for talking about football. And its not as though the guy didn't have enough warnings about his ramblings on X, but he was just too arrogant to heed them.

next one is his last mod

You can never criticize Israel and get away with it.

Yeah, BBC are still sitting on that documentary about the Gaza hospitals and just remove to show it.


But make a post about innocent children being slaughtered by the thousands and losing your career is fair game apparently.

BBC are a disgrace of an organisation

So the Free Speech Brigade don't believe in free speech after all.

It is amazing that in 2025 they're still managing to get away with being funded by a license fee, if TV started today that thought would be laughable, doubt they would survive if they were forced into subscription, too many ahead of that game, their flagship show was always Eastenders when it had 15 + million viewers 2 times a week, less than 2 million now, and that loyal greying fanbase is dying off, I'm not sure what they're USP is. Makes no sense you have to pay for something you don't use.

Kind Regards.

Crap dramas, very little sport (was the end for me when they lost the open golf) and comedy dont make me laugh (well they dont). All for £170 a year even if you dont watch it.

How much did they waste on Eurovision where if the Beatles where re-incarnated and performed for the UK they'd still finish mid table.

i like Linekar on MOTD. I don't understand anyone backing Israel on what they are doing. Don't mess with the popular crowd or the money men

Chappers is a very poor man's Lineker without the wit or football knowledge.

Bbc shouldn't pay for anything other free to air channels would
already show, seems daft just pushing up cost.

BBC seem to think anyone who sees murdering children/anyone as wrong as a "Social media activist" when it comes to Israel.

Quality opinions from the home of Jimmy Saville.

More Cancel Culture from the Free Speech Union and the Libertarians

Israeli Dirty Tricks Department London Bureau have another victory

Good pundit , politics and Work  do not Mix,  long time coming ..

Blocks anyone who bot does not agree with him , Why is he posting on Social media  ?

He's not been cancelled though WD - he can say what he likes now he won't be being paid out of the licence fee pot.

Being forced out your job for saying something that was not illegal on social media, and not for anything work-related is the very essence of cancel culture.

Correct.

Have always paid the licence fee (ours comes up in July) but won't this year.

BBC can take me to court.

Lineker got bbc racist tories in his sights

I don't consider ignoring repeated warnings from the DG about your social media posting as anything other than rank stupidity and/or arrogance. Plenty at the BBC no doubt have strong political views but keep it zipped whilst they are on the payroll.

He's really going to struggle to get a job in football
with bbc so dominant on live football these days.

He doesn’t need the money. If us just part of the Cancel Culture prominent powerful groups use to destroy opposition

Do you know something like 40% of property owned in Kensington and Chelsea by fire is owned through opaque Off Shore Trusts.

What is Linekers crime? How many children has he murdered?

Dixie, how many BBC employees have voiced strong political opinions about Russia on social media? Hundreds if not thousands, I would guess. Shutting down all criticism of Israel doesn't make genocide and child murder disappear, it just highlights the hypocrisy and double-standards. It's not just about Lineker either. Criticise Israel and you will have a large target on your back.

Had Lineker mentioned Israel or the murder in innocent children on MotD?

Another example of the Israeli Dirty Tricks Department London Bureau

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jan/07/israeli-diplomat-shai-masot-caught-on-camera-plotting-to-take-down-uk-mps

An Israeli embassy official has been caught on camera in an undercover sting plotting to “take down” MPs regarded as hostile, including foreign office minister Sir Alan Duncan, an outspoken supporter of a Palestinian state.

In an extraordinary breach of diplomatic protocol, Shai Masot, who describes himself as an officer in the Israel Defence Forces and is serving as a senior political officer at the London embassy, was recorded by an ­undercover reporter from al-Jazeera’s investigative unit speaking about a number of British MPs.

The Israeli ambassador, Mark Regev, apologised to Duncan on Friday. An Israeli spokesman said Regev made clear that “the embassy considered the remarks completely ­unacceptable”.

The Israeli embassy said Masot “will be ending his term of employment with the embassy shortly”. Masot declined to comment or to elaborate on what he meant when he said he wanted to “take down” a number of MPs.

Given it's the BBC, more likely they sacked him for apologising.

Lineker outside of bbc will be far more entertaining.

They got the Arsenal kit man too!

Where will it end?

What did he do ?
As I’ve no ideal
I thought he was woke lefty very much bbc type of guy

Gary Lineker's departure from the BBC in May 2025 was the culmination of a series of controversies, culminating in a contentious social media post. The immediate catalyst was his sharing of a pro-Palestine video accompanied by a rat emoji, an image historically associated with antisemitic propaganda. Although Lineker deleted the post and issued an unreserved apology, the BBC deemed the incident a serious lapse in judgment, rendering his position untenable .

This incident reignited internal unrest within the BBC, drawing criticism from religious groups and prompting concerns among staff. Director-General Tim Davie emphasized the importance of impartiality and adherence to the broadcaster's social media policies. Despite Lineker's apology, the controversy escalated due to his continued outspoken behavior, including previous comments about Israel, leading to a mutual but strained agreement for his exit .

Prior to this, Lineker had announced his intention to step down from hosting Match of the Day at the end of the 2024–25 season, citing the upcoming rights cycle and a desire for a change. He had planned to continue with the BBC to front coverage of the 2026 World Cup and the FA Cup 2025/2026. However, the recent controversy accelerated his departure from the BBC altogether.

Lineker's exit marks the end of a 26-year tenure with the BBC, during which he became its highest-paid presenter and a prominent media figure. His departure underscores the challenges of balancing personal expression with corporate responsibility in the realm of public broadcasting.

O muddy himself in that ****
Lol

Gaz will be able to spend more time with the poor migrant lodger he has

What I find hard to believe about the whole thing is that anybody should care what an ex-footballer thinks about politics or international conflict. lineker may be smarter than your average pundit/presenter (not difficult), but an expert on international affairs he is not. As for a football club kitman, it just goes to show how social media allows too many complete nobodies to express their stringent views on things they know little about. And too many people take notice of them.

Die Linke - i take your point but those you refer to are highly unlikely to be high profile presenters. The BBC is supposed to be impartial (yes i know....!) and Lineker made his position  untenable himself having been given a number of warnings, some of which were about other matters, it wasn't just about his Israel criticism.

Can I ask what else he's commented on that's been deemed worthy of a warning.

PoP - Mainly having a go at the Tories (and other politicians like Farage on occasion),  migration policy (nazi comparison was the worst) , brexit amongst others. 
Some people agree with him and others don't but that's not really the issue, as a BBC high profile figure he knew what was expected of him and carried on anyway.

Seems that the Met are now considering an investigation in to the latest "antisemitic" retweet , personally i think that's going a bit too far given he's apologised but thats the world we find ourselves in these days.

Andrew Neil was editor of right wing magazine pushing alsorts
of weird theories, but as bbc tory plants agree with him, nowt
was done... Bbc infiltrated by Tufton Street have to get rid
of those not in line

OK to defend newsreading pedos, but somebody
posting stuff in free time has to go

Lol

Good job right wing nutters don't watch bbc anyway

Dubble lol

Lineker, being about the best presenter and pundit around
will find work all over, and increase his profile away from
footy free bbc.

Tufton Street will continue their propaganda by whatever means
they can.

So his position becomes untenable because he has the audactity to have an opinion on politics and brexit?


Chairman Mao must be pissing himself at what we've become.

Cancel Culture and the Free Speech Union. The Libertarians do not really want liberty

Kit Malthouse next to be cancelled by the Free Speech Nation and Libertarians

“Many of us in this chamber have been trying to spur the government into action over the past few months. We have tried anger and outrage and got nowhere, and we have tried shaming ministers into action and got nowhere, so maybe we need to beg. Do those on the Treasury bench need us to beg for the lives of those Palestinian children before they will trigger that concrete action, whatever it might be?”

PoP - it wasn't so much his audacity at having an opinion, nor the subjects that he chose to opine about, but the fact that he effectively ignored his employers warnings about their impartiality rules. Whether you agree with them or not the rules are there, the BBC is supposed to be neutral on such matters and Lineker chose to carry on regardless.  There have been plenty of commentators who actually support him and his views saying this week that the BBC and Lineker had no alternative but to part ways as a result.

spot on Dixie. In senior positions in the Civil Service and the public sector you also have to be politically neutral and cant express political opinions. Its not a difficult concept to understand

His employers have impartiality rules for him but no others

All others free to push right wing agendas

Jonathan Cook

Sickening to watch BBC News spin-doctoring Britain's culpability and complicity for Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Political editor Chris Mason talks of the UK's growing realisation of its "limited agency" over Israel, while conversely international editor Jeremy Bowen says we are seeing from the government the first demands for "accountability" from Israel.

Neither analysis is true. The British government can do lots to hold Israel to account but is doing none of it, apart from offering empty rhetoric that is greeted with a chorus of nodding heads and mock-frowns in parliament.

The UK can stop arms sales to Israel, stop transfers from its RAF base on Cyprus of US and German weapons to Israel, stop UK spy slights over Gaza to provide Israel with intelligence, tear up trade agreements, impose economic sanctions, ban Israel from cultural and sporting events, and much, much more.

And these two big BBC editors both fail to give expression to what is at the forefront of every viewer's mind: How has it taken 19 months of Israel slaughtering and starving Gaza's children, live-streamed to our homes, for the UK government only now to notice the horror and begin talking about accountability?

spot on yhtl

That  did make me laugh YHTL - can you please namecheck all of these "others" at the bbc with their right wing agendas ? 

And Jonathan Cook is hardly the independent journalist he purports to be, he is not averse to conspiracy theories and is pretty much a useful idiot for Hamas.

You've just posted your own agenda, lol.

Bit of deflection their YHTL. You made a claim about bbc right wingers being able to push their agendas - surely you were not making it up ?

I have no agenda, do i support Israel in their battle with Hamas ? Overall, yes i do.
Do i support what they are doing at the moment in Gaza ? No i don't.

No I didn't make it up.

Get over yerself

A typical response. You make a claim that you refuse to back up with any evidence and i'm the one who's supposed to get over himself ?

Names please.

There's loads of evidence, I've even outlined one guy.

How many more do you expect

"All others free to push right wing agendas" points to there being a whole host of presenters, and you say you've "even" outlined ONE guy, lol. You know you can't back up your claim,  because knowing you i would have received a long list of names by now if you could.

And if the "one" you refer to is Chris Mason, where is there any evidence to support your accusation ?  Because i can't find any.

Lineker is one guy

Andrew Neil is one guy

One allowed to pedal right wing agendas free from comment, censure.
the other hounded.

Laura kuensberg free to pedal right wing agendas, fiona Bruce and
her tory connections,... Boris Johnson stacked bbc with right wing tories

Even sold a position for a loan arrangement until that became untenable

Michael portillo riding round on trains whilst esposing tory values to all
and sundry

But but but lineker

Emily Maitlis has said a BBC board member is an “active agent of the Conservative party” who is shaping the broadcaster’s news output by acting “as the arbiter of BBC impartiality”.

The former Newsnight presenter highlighted the role of Sir Robbie Gibb, who previously worked as Theresa May’s director of communications and helped to found the rightwing GB News channel.


Last year he was appointed to the BBC’s board by Boris Johnson’s government and has since influenced a series of ongoing reviews of the broadcaster’s editorial output.

Crikey, i honestly thought you could do better than that YHTL. I was hoping for something inflammatory like Linekers posts.

The viewing/listening public don't see/hear board members, only the presenters.

Emily Maitlis, FFS.  Anyone credible you can quote ?  The BBC has long been accused of being too far left so a rebalance has been overdue anyway.

I must remember to manage my expectations in future.

Why? It's highlighting the bias sufficiently for normal people
to see, The swivel eyed loons will continue to struggle

The BBC are far from left, however unlike the 70s,80s they do actually broadcast some truths which the "Brittania rules the waves" mob don't want to hear.
I won't hold my breath for the "mountbatten kincora" documentary though, they haven't changed that much.

Have the BBC acknowledged that the first Indian Prime Minister was banging the Viceroy’s wife… “ Lady “ Edwina Mountbatten?

BBC in a nutshell

Marr: “How can you know I’m self-censoring?”
Chomsky: “I’m not saying you’re self-censoring. I’m sure you believe everything you say. But what I’m saying is if you believed something different you wouldn’t be sitting where you’re sitting.”

Andrew Neill is a Tory but he wasn't using his BBC shows to push right wing stuff.

If he had been then why didn't Boris agree to the interview at the 2019 election? Because Neil was intending to wipe the floor with Boris, and, as Cummings later admitted, likely would have done just that.

Melvyn Bragg was another top broadcaster, but a Labour guy. It was silly that he had to be taken off 'Start the Week' when an election campaign started due to his supposed 'bias'.

Neil and Bragg are smart enough to see all angles of an issue so they can play devil's advocate and and give a tough time to any point of view.

Midwits like Emily Maitlis are totally incapable of seeing there is more than one side to an issue.

Lineker was the victim of 'cancel culture' though. No one should be sacked from a job due to their political opinions.

Whether the people complaining about this instance of cancel culture would be opposed to it in principle I rather doubt.

Andrew Neill is a Tory but he wasn't using his BBC shows to push right wing stuff.

Gary Lineker holds left wing views but he wasn't using his bbc shows to push left wing stuff

true

Lineker did not call out Israel for their terrible behaviour on Match Of The Day.
Perhaps the BBC will get AI deep fake presenters to avoid the possibility of non-BBC boardroom opinions?

Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker and Benedict Cumberbatch sign letter calling on PM to halt all arms sales to Israel

Hundreds of stars, including Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Lineker, have called on Sir Keir Starmer to end the UK’s arms sales to Israel as Benjamin Netanyahu continues his assault on Gaza.

What is worse Lineker making a tweet or Labour sending a Business Adviser to Israel to get a trade deal with War criminals?

Gary Lineker has moved his podcast endeavours to the streaming titan DAZN following his departure from the BBC.

The illustrious 'The Rest Is Football' podcast, which sees Lineker teaming up with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, will benefit from incorporating Club World Cup footage into its video editions due to this alliance.