Gary Lineker's former boss at the BBC has told how the footballer-turned-pundit's political outbursts have been 'deeply damaging' amid speculation he will leave the corporation early following a Zionism rat row.
Roger Mosey, who used to head up the BBC's News but is now master of Selwyn College, Cambridge, wrote in the Times at a time when Lineker's position 'looks untenable' after the latest of a series of controversial posts by him in the last few years.
The long-standing sports broadcaster, 64, was condemned this week for posting a reel on Instagram, which he then deleted, about Zionism which included the anti-Semitic symbol of a rat.
His post faced backlash from sections of the Jewish community, and he quickly deleted it and issued an unreserved apology, claiming not to have been aware of the anti-Semitic connotations.
Mr Lineker, who was paid £1.4million by the BBC last year, had shared the post, originally uploaded by another account, as it featured a critique of Zionism.
