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‘It wasn’t meant to end this way’ – Lineker leaves BBC after Zionist rat scandal
Presenter opened his final episode of Match Of The Day with a subtle nod to the debacle that brought forward his departure
Gary Lineker has signed off as host of Match Of The Day after sharing a social media post about Zionism featuring a rat.
He presented his final episode alongside fellow pundits, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, with whom he also hosts podcast The Rest Is Football, which is produced by his company Goalhanger Podcasts.
In his final message, Lineker said: “Rather like my football career, everyone else did all the hard work and I got the plaudits. It’s been an absolute privilege to host Match Of The Day for a quarter of a century. It’s been utterly joyous.”
Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman will replace the Leicester-born star and share the presenting role on Match Of The Day from the next Premier League season, and Lineker wished the trio “all the very best when they sit in this chair. The programme is in the best of hands.”
The BBC’s highest paid presenter initially claimed not to have seen the rat on the message he shared on social media, before “apologising unreservedly” the following day, saying he would bever knowingly share anything antisemitic.
It was later confirmed he would leave his presenting role at the BBC early and will no longer front the corporation’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup or the FA Cup next season.
Lineker has presented Match Of The Day since 1999 and has also fronted the BBC’s coverage of other major sporting events, including the 2012 London Olympics.
He opened the final episode with a subtle nod to the scandal that brought forward his departure, saying: “It wasn’t meant to end this way… but with the title race over and the relegation places confirmed, the Champions League was all we had left to talk about.”
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