Match of the Day braces for a reinvention: How axing Gary Lineker paves method for brand spanking new BBC Sport supremo Alex Kay-Jelski to cuts prices and overhaul present for ‘youthful viewers’ as Alex Scott and Gabby Logan lead race to be subsequent host

Gary Lineker‘s axing from Match of the Day follows claims the boss of BBC Sport is seeking to ‘freshen up’ the show to appeal to a younger audience – as Gabby Logan and Alex Scott lead a female-dominated list of rivals vying to replace him.

Alex Kay-Jelski was in the job for a matter of months before rumours began circulating that he wanted to give Lineker the shove, with the former newspaper executive said to believe a new presenter could help win over young viewers.

Kay-Jelski was also said to be frustrated by Lineker’s outspoken political views and foul language used on his The Rest Is Football podcast, which sources said he believed reflected negatively on Match of the Day.

Appointing a presenter who would be less likely to spark controversy would be of obvious appeal to cost-cutting BBC chiefs battered by seemingly endless impartiality rows, while it could also help drive forward their stated mission to build a more diverse presenting line-up.

Match Of The Day Two host Mark Chapman is the current favourite to replace Lineker, 63, with Ladbrokes putting his odds at 6/4. But he is the only man in the top seven list, with Commonwealth Games athlete and BBC stalwart Gabby Logan in second place on 4/1, followed by Kelly Cates on 5/1.

Alex Scott, who racked up 140 appearances for England and represented Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, is a regular MOTD stand-in when Lineker is away and is in joint fourth on the list. 

However, the 40-year-old presenter’s future has been thrown into doubt in recent weeks, with sources claiming she was ‘deeply hurt’ by a ‘lack of support’ after Football Focus was hit by low ratings. 

Also featured in the top seven were Eilidh Barbour (6/1), Kelly Somers (8/1) and Laura Woods (10/1). 

This morning, the BBC revealed that Lineker has extended his TV contract until the end of the 2026 World Cup – but is stepping down from MOTD as it ‘evolves for changing viewing habits‘. 

The former footballer is not close to his new boss Alex Kay-Jelski, who appeared determined to replace him.  

Indeed, Lineker was ‘open’ to staying at MOTD and is believed to have offered to take a £350,000-a-year pay cut from his £1.35million salary to stay but was turned down, according to BBC culture and media editor Katie Razzall.

Kay-Jelski has been branded ‘the hatchet man’ behind the scenes of the BBC, sources told MailOnline last month, and played a key role in axing Jermaine Jenas following his sexting scandal.

According to one insider, the executive believes Lineker’s name no longer carries as much weight as it once did, views his  salary as ‘excessive’ and has privately admitted Match of the Day viewers would tune in no matter the host. 

‘He’s fronted Match of the Day for over 25 years, so the show is due a change, and Kay-Jelski is the man ruthless enough to trigger one,’ the source said last month – correctly predicting today’s outcome. 

‘His brutal axing of Jenas shows he’s not afraid to make big decisions and he has no qualms about potentially upsetting Lineker. There’s a feeling within Match of the Day a new era is ready to kick in and Lineker will be the biggest casualty.’

MailOnline previously revealed that the BBC had apparently drafted a press release announcing Lineker’s immediate departure from Match of the Day.

Kay-Jelski was the alleged author of the email, having only started his Head of Sport job in April.

He shipped out Jenas, who according to some reports was being lined up to step into Lineker’s shoes at the helm of the flagship football show.

In the light of rumours Jenas had sent sexually inappropriate texts to younger female colleagues, Kay-Jelski launched an investigation into the case and ruthlessly sacked Jenas in a video call while he was on holiday with his family.

Once the decision was made, Kay-Jelski sent a terse email to the BBC’s entire sports staff announcing: ‘Hello all, I wanted to let you know that Jermaine Jenas is no longer working for the BBC. Thanks Alex.’

According to insiders, he was equally tough in negotiations with Lineker over the renewal of his current contract, which expires at the end of the football season.

It is understood that Kay-Jelski was irritated by Lineker’s often outspoken comments on his non-BBC podcast that he hosts alongside MOTD colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, which is produced by his own lucrative company Goalhanger.

Lineker sparked controversy this summer after describing England’s performances in the early stages of Euro 2024 as ‘s***’.

It was estimated he earned more than £125,000 from the podcast in the first two weeks of the Euros alone.

Despite being given ample opportunity to deny the email’s authenticity, the BBC  signally failed to do so, leaving observers convinced he was heading for the exit. 

Kay-Jelski prospered in the cut-and-thrust world of print sports journalism, heading the sports desks at the Mail and The Times, before moving to The Athletic as Editor-in-chief and then the BBC.

He is a father of two boys with his husband, high-flying French-born City executive Andrew Kay-Jelski, 38. Alex Kay-Jelski graduated from Edinburgh University in French and Spanish before beginning his career in journalism.

The only controversy in his career to date was provoking the ire of JK Rowling and Sharron Davies with a piece in The Times about trans women athletes.

He suggested that having separate categories for trans competitors was like having ‘special categories for Jamaican sprinters and Ethiopian marathon runners’. He added: ‘Sounds mad, doesn’t it? Nasty, even.’

JK Rowling and others objected to their concerns about the fairness of biological men participating in female categories being compared to racists.

Upon his appointment to the BBC, Rowling tweeted it was ‘utterly predictable’ someone like Kay-Jelski would be appointed by the BBC to the prominent role, citing what she described as the broadcaster’s ‘shameful’ record on gender issues.

He had also claimed that athletes who spoke out on trans sport, such as Martina Navratilova and Sharron Davies, were ‘not experts’.

Despite being cast out, Lineker has nonetheless secured a new money-spinning deal with the BBC to stream his immensely lucrative The Rest is Football podcast on the BBC Sounds app.

The footballer turned pundit has been the regular presenter of the show since 1999 but he will end his 25-year stint on the Saturday night programme as its £1.35million-a-year host at the end of this season.

Lineker, a lightning rod for criticism over impartiality in recent years who was seen walking his dog this morning, will leave the corporation altogether after the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States when he is 65, as first reported by MailOnline in October.

In a 21-word statement, which did not mention leaving Match of the Day at all, he said: ‘I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen’.

The statement read: ‘The BBC and Gary Lineker have agreed in principle a contract extension through to the 2026 World Cup.

‘Gary will lead the coverage of the tournament, as England once again try to land a first major trophy since 1966, the other Home Nations look to qualify and Lionel Messi aims to retain the trophy he won with Argentina.

‘Gary will also host BBC Sport’s coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025-26 season, 35 years on from lifting the trophy as a player.

‘After a quarter of a century, Gary is stepping down from hosting Match of The Day at the end of this season. He will continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast and the BBC will also host the hugely popular The Rest is Football podcast on BBC Sounds.’

Former Director General Greg Dyke said today that Lineker’s penchant for giving personal views will have been ‘in the mind’ of the BBC when they decided to go for a new host.

‘In the end, people watch Match Of The Day for the football’, he said.