UPDATE: |Gary Lineker says he thinks BBC ‘wanted him to leave’ Match of the Day News

Gary Lineker has said he thinks the BBC wanted him to leave Match Of The Day

Gary Lineker says he thinks that the BBC might have been keen for him to step down from Match Of The Day, adding that he “didn’t like the damage” caused by his contentious tweets.

The 64-year-old, who is set to leave the broadcaster after presenting the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico, and Canada, has been at the helm of the flagship highlights show since 1999.

Speaking to the BBC’s Amol Rajan, Lineker reflected: “It’s time (to leave). I’ve done it for a long time, it’s been brilliant, it’s been great… Well, perhaps they want me to leave… There was a sense of that.

“I always wanted one more contract. It was their preference that I didn’t do Match Of The Day for one more year so they could bring in new people, so it’s slightly unusual that I would do the FA Cup and the World Cup, but, to be honest, it’s a scenario that suits me perfectly.”

Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman, and Gabby Logan are set to take over his duties on MOTD.

The former England captain also addressed the controversy surrounding his March 2023 tweet, which drew parallels between the British government’s asylum policy and 1930s Germany. It led to a brief suspension from the airwaves, with colleagues walking out in support, until he resumed his role on MOTD.

“I don’t regret saying them publicly, because I was right – what I said, it was accurate – so not at all in that sense,” he said.

“Would I, in hindsight, do it again? No, I wouldn’t, because of all the nonsense that came with it… It was a ridiculous overreaction that was just a reply to someone that was being very rude. And I wasn’t particularly rude back.

“But I wouldn’t do it again because of all the kerfuffle that followed, and I love the BBC, and I didn’t like the damage that it did to the BBC… But do I regret it and do I think it was the wrong thing to do? No.”

His comments were at the heart of the debate about impartiality concerning BBC presenters and their social media activity, eventually leading to stricter guidelines for high-profile BBC figures, including prohibitions on political commentary.

Despite the uproar, Lineker dismissed any notions of venturing into politics, adding that he has “never had a view” before breaking into laughter.

Lineker added: “I think I’ll probably focus more on the podcast world, because it’s such a fun business and it’s just been so incredible,”.

His venture, Goalhanger Podcasts, has gained traction since its 2019 launch, producing hits like The Rest Is Politics, The Rest Is Entertainment, and The Rest Is Football, featuring segments with fellow MOTD faces Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.

Lineker has consistently topped the BBC pay charts as the broadcaster’s highest-earning presenter, pocketing an estimated £1.35 million in the fiscal year 2023/24, as released in the BBC’s annual report in July.

He is also set to host BBC Sport’s coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025-26 season, continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast and the BBC will also feature The Rest Is Football podcast, which includes Lineker, on BBC Sounds.