Gary Lineker believes BBC wanted him to leave as he regrets tweets ‘damage’

The 64-year-old outgoing MOTD host will leave the corporation after fronting its coverage of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Lineker, who has worked as a presenter on the highlights programme since 1999, told the BBC’s Amol Rajan: “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.”

A trio of presenters – Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan – will replace him on MOTD.

Lineker was also grilled about the furore in March 2023 over his tweet comparing the then British government’s asylum policy with 1930s Germany.

The former England striker was briefly taken off air, and other sports journalists and presenters walked out in solidarity, before he returned to fronting MOTD.

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

“Would I, in hinds...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]