- Campbell claimed Lineker would be a ‘very hard act to follow’ in as host
- He insisted the BBC went ‘too far’ when Lineker was briefly taken off air
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Gary Lineker‘s departure from Match of the Day is expected to be officially announced today, with the BBC star’s exit effectively confirmed by his business partner Alastair Campbell.
It emerged on Monday that Lineker will be quitting the iconic show at the end of the season after 26 years.
Lineker is the BBC’s highest-paid presenter with a salary of £1.35million and his exit will close a long – and controversial – chapter for one of the nation’s most iconic shows.
Sources confirmed Lineker’s exit to The Sun, revealing that the BBC’s director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, is ‘not exactly close’ with the MOTD host and is keen to slash spending and give the show a facelift.
The decision to part ways with him comes after six weeks of talks.
Gary Lineker is reportedly set to quit presenting Match of the Day at the end of the season
The BBC are expected to announce Lineker’s departure after 26 years in the role on Tuesday
Alastair Campbell effectively confirmed Lineker’s departure from the iconic BBC show
Lineker, whose contract was coming to an end, entered negotiations with the BBC’s new director of sport in October.
BBC News reported that while Lineker was open to staying on as host he was not offered a new contract to present the show.
Lineker has branched out in recent years by co-founding the production company Goalhanger.
The company produces his podcast The Rest is Football, with other titles including The Rest is History, The Rest is Politics and The Rest is Entertainment.
The Rest is Politics co-host Campbell effectively confirmed Lineker’s departure to Sky News, stating that the outgoing Match of the Day host would be ‘a very hard act to follow’.
Lineker’s time as the face of Match of the Day has been divisive at times, with the presenter temporarily suspended last year for criticising the government’s asylum policy in a controversially worded tweet.
He returned soon after following a walk-out by his MOTD colleagues who showed solidarity with the former England striker, and the row even prompted the Beeb to overhaul and draw up a new set of guidelines for its presenters and their social media use.
Responding to a suggestion that Lineker had been ‘straining at the leash’ at the BBC, Campbell claimed the corporation went ‘a little bit too far’ when they briefly took the presenter off air.
‘The thing about Gary Lineker as a “political figure”, he does strike me as someone who does have strong views about a lot of really important issues,’ said Campbell, the former Downing Street Director of Communications and Strategy.
‘I think the BBC went a little bit too far.
Lineker’s recent years have been controversial due to his outspoken social media presence
The former England striker first started presenting the iconic highlights show back in 1999
Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan have previously been touted as among the favourites to succeed him when he goes
‘I think if you are a comedian or sports presenter, it is not the same as being a political reporter.
‘Also he has done it a long time from 1999, my god, that is a long time to do the same thing, shlepping up to Manchester every Saturday.
‘I think he is one of the best broadcasters, but I think he would be the first to admit that at the start he found it very difficult, I think he has morphed into being one of our best broadcasters.’
It has been hard for the BBC to keep a handle on him when he presents his popular podcast, The Rest Is Football, alongside Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.
During Euro 2024 he branded England’s performance against Denmark as ‘s***’, which prompted a retaliation from Harry Kane, who hit out at attacks from pundits who knew what it is like to ‘wear the shirt’.
That shock jock tone landed him in hot water and stands in stark contrast to the more composed, cerebral style that Match of the Day upholds.
Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan have previously been touted as the favourites to replace the former England striker.
His contract with the BBC finishes at the end of this season but he has been given an 18-month extension. However, that will not include Match of the Day anchoring duties.
In October, Mail Sport revealed an email purportedly from the BBC’s director of sport, Kay-Jelski, which featured a statement announcing his imminent departure from the show.
A source told the Sun that Lineker will focus on his Goalhanger podcasting empire after leaving
Former Leicester City striker Lineker was over the moon when his beloved side won the top tier
Football Focus presenter Alex Scott has also been touted among the favourites to replace him
Micah Richards, a pundit on Match of the Day and Lineker’s The Rest Is Football, is also seen as one of the frontrunners
That email, which suggested a show earlier this season would be his last – which has not been the case – also included comments from director general Tim Davie, who hailed an ‘incredible’ stint and described Lineker as a ‘world class presenter’.
He made light of the uncovered email in October, opening the first show after that by saying: ‘Hello. Seven games on the way and it’s my final show… before the international break.’
That was a more measured response to the one he gave when approached directly by MailOnline outside his home: ‘F*** off, I won’t talk to you. Go away.’
The 63-year-old presenter has reportedly been linked with jobs at rival broadcasters and before his exit under a cloud, Jermaine Jenas was being lined up to replace the former England captain.
Reports in late September suggested Lineker would hold talks with the BBC this month over a multi-year deal after volunteering to take a pay cut.
Lineker first began his punditry with the BBC at 5 Live and Grandstand before taking over as host of Match of the Day in 1999.
He has also presented Sports Personality of the Year, London 2012 and golf for the corporation.
It is only a couple of months since Lineker suggested he would have ‘another year, at least’ at the helm of the BBC’s long-running football show, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in August.
Lineker branched out in recent years after co-founding the production company Goalhanger
Lineker hosts The Rest is Football podcast with Alan Shearer, left, and Micah Richards, centre
He opened up about his future when asked how long he would keep presenting, and replied: ‘I don’t know… it depends how long they want me, I suppose.’
Interviewed by BBC Breakfast’s John Watson in August, he said: ‘I mean, I love doing it at the moment (and) I’ve got another year doing it, at least.
‘We’ll have to wait and see what happens. It’s an ever-changing feast, football, and television and football, and rights for the Premier League and stuff like that so all of these things will play a part.
‘But I just feel that it’s been a privilege to present it for 25 years now. I must be getting old.’
Elsewhere in the interview, the BBC’s highest-paid star also explained why the show meant so much to him.
‘It’s been a part of my life, a big part of my life right from the start,’ he explained. ‘I watched it as a kid, it was the one night my dad would let me stay up to watch Match of the Day.
‘Because a lot of the population don’t have Sky or TNT or any of these streaming channels that show football and the Premier League, I think about half the population get their Premier League fix from Match of the Day and still do.’
He was also asked why he thinks the BBC show continues to draw in viewers, to which he replied: ‘I think part of it is that it’s trusted.
‘The longevity of the show, the love for the show. I think people enjoy seeing it that way, they like to see the highlights. They like to get their Premier League fix from us and hopefully that will continue.’
Lineker’s spot as the Beeb’s highest-paid talent is as much of a talking point with critics as his social media antics – and it was something his MOTD predecessor Des Lynam recently branded ‘unjustifiable’.
After quitting football, Lineker’s presenting career began with the BBC where he presented MOTD, as well as working for Al Jazeera Sports and NBC Sports Network.
With a reported overall net worth of £30million, he is one of the UK’s most notable sports figures and consistently presents at major tournaments including the Euros and the World Cup.
Over the course of his stellar football career, he played for England 80 times and scored 49 goals before retiring in 1994 to enter the media world.
Lineker landed himself in hot water when he called England ‘s***’ during Euro 2024
As well as presenting, he signed a £1.2million three-year deal with Walkers Crisps in 2020.
His BBC salary has been reduced since 2019 when he earnt 1.75m, and he took a voluntary pay cut of 23 per cent in 2020.
Goalhanger claims to be the UK’s largest independent podcast group.
It was founded by Lineker, along with Tony Pastor and Jack Davenport.
Chapman and Logan have been seen as the frontrunners to take his spot.
Considering that Mark Chapman hosts Match of the Day 2, and that he and Logan anchor the BBC’s new Champions League highlights show, it is little surprise that their names were at the top of the bookies’ tables in October.
MOTD pundit Micah Richards Alex Scott, the current host of Football Focus, were also mentioned high up.
Down the list were Dion Dublin, Clare Balding, Jason Mohammad, Colin Murray, Eni Aluko, Alan Shearer, Kelly Cates, and Eilidh Barbour.
Match of the Day staff were left ‘increasingly unsettled’ in October amid the rumours that Lineker could be headed for the door.
Lineker is a respected voice on football due to his long and prolific career for club and country
Lineker will continue to present the BBC’s FA Cup coverage for the 2025-26 season, as well as fronting broadcasting for the 2026 World Cup
A source told the Mail: ‘There’s a belief his time is coming to an end, but speculation surrounding the rumoured speediness of his departure has ramped up since this email has come to light.
‘Staffers feel it would be strange for such an esteemed broadcaster to leave so early into the football season, and not receive a big send off – just like veteran pundit Ian Wright experienced last May.
‘This has only intensified feelings there may have been another fallout within the ranks, and it’s increasingly unsettling for everybody involved.’
The source continued: ‘Nobody is being told anything, but there is a sense something big is happening behind the scenes and when it drops, many people will be affected.’