You have to wonder what ran through Gary Lineker‘s mind the moment he discovered Jermaine Jenas had been sacked by the BBC.
The news had been kept a secret for several days after the Corporation’s human resources department fired him following complaints about sexual text messages Jenas had sent to two female colleagues.
But sources say that as soon as Lineker heard, he was particularly ‘interested’ in what had happened. The BBC’s highest paid star wanted to know exactly why Jenas had been booted out so quickly and unceremoniously.
Lineker is understood to have consulted his friends in both the media and the footballing worlds to get to the bottom of it all.
Former football pundit Jermaine Jenas with his wife Ellie at Wimbledon
Some might suggest he had a vested interest in doing so. After all, Jenas had been tipped to take over Lineker’s mantle as the anchor of Match of the Day.
It had been mooted that the 41-year-old – who is 22 years Lineker’s junior – could succeed him at the end of this football season, as soon as his contract on the flagship show expired.
Jenas, like Lineker an ex-England footballer, had recently been promoted to become a regular anchor on the BBC’s popular magazine programme, The One Show. His eloquence and presenting style was much admired among the upper echelons of the broadcaster and he was seen as a star of the future.
What is more, his salary of £190,000 – admittedly high compared to the average UK wage – was cheap compared to Lineker’s £1.35million a year from the BBC. Jenas would undoubtedly have been handed a handsome pay rise, but it would not have been anywhere close to Lineker’s pay packet.
So it is perhaps little surprise that within the BBC, gossips have been saying that the timing of Jenas’s departure is highly fortuitous for Lineker.
The only other contender for his role being discussed publicly is Mark Chapman, host of Match of the Day 2 on Sunday nights. He is also BBC Sport’s chief rugby league presenter and fronts their coverage of the Rugby League World Cup and RFL Challenge Cup matches. Again, he’s a bargain compared to Lineker, with a salary of between £260,000 and £264,999.
But an industry insider said Jenas had been first choice: ‘Jermaine had been clipping at Gary’s heels for a while. He had been the only name really in the frame for some time. For anyone in any job having a much younger, cheaper potential replacement coming up the ranks can be a worry.’
Now, with Jenas well and truly out of contention, Lineker seems to be carrying out something of a charm offensive with his employers – and is even happy to take a substantial pay cut of £350,000. It would reduce his salary to £1million but still leave him as the BBC’s highest paid star.
Gary Lineker, the BBC’s highest paid star wanted to know why Jenas had been booted out so quickly and unceremoniously by the BBC
In addition he has his earnings from the highly lucrative podcast group Goalhanger Productions, which he co-founded.
Industry sources say Lineker being the high-profile host of Match of the Day helps boost Goalhanger’s profitability – which could have influenced his decision.
Whatever the case, it was suggested over the weekend that Lineker’s tenure as the host of the Saturday night football show may well now be safe. The Sun newspaper, with which the former England striker has a close relationship, revealed he was in talks with the BBC over a multi-year deal for Match of the Day. The newspaper had also been briefed that he volunteered to take a pay cut.
Lineker, who has hosted the football highlights show since 1999, is to meet executives next month to discuss a potential deal lasting at least two or three years. Talks are understood to have been briefly delayed due to the Jenas ordeal.
A source told the newspaper: ‘The sense is that, with so much uncertainty and scandal at the BBC, right now viewers are crying out for a safe pair of hands.
‘Gary adores the BBC and loves his job, and recognises what an honour it is to host television’s flagship football show, as well as international games.
‘Gary has long maintained that the BBC provides excellent value for money – and has quite literally put his money where his mouth is and offered to take a substantial pay cut.’
While there is no suggestion that Lineker himself briefed the paper on that detail, he is quick to point out inaccurate stories on X, formerly known as Twitter, and hasn’t complained about this one.
And, of course, it paints him in a positive light. He has endured years of criticism for his high salary, not to mention his online comments – which led to a high-profile debate about impartiality rules and BBC presenters’ behaviour on social media.
A row over Lineker’s posts was prompted last year by his comments comparing the government’s immigration policy to the language used in 1930s Germany.
He was asked to step back from hosting Match of the Day by the BBC, but the move prompted other presenters to down tools in solidarity. Lineker later returned to television screens as the BBC announced a review of its social media guidelines.
In February, Lineker announced that he would not be going on X as much, saying that the platform had become ‘increasingly toxic’. There have been no scandalous posts since.
‘Gary seems very much to be toeing the line now,’ a BBC source said. ‘You wonder if having Jermaine coming up behind him scared him momentarily… with Jermaine out of the picture, he looks certain to remain on Match of the Day for some years to come. He almost looks like the golden boy.’
Ironically, that is a term which was for some time used by the BBC’s top brass to describe Jermaine Jenas.