Gary Lineker is set to announced his departure from the BBC after 26 years today, raising questions over who will replace the star presenter for the 2026 World Cup.
The 64-year-old, whose £1.35million-a-year salary makes him the highest-paid presenter at the BBC, is due to bow out by mutual agreement after being plunged into an antisemitism row last week.
The former England striker sparked a major backlash after he reposted a video on Instagram which criticised Zionism and featured an illustration of a rat - an antisemitic insult historically used by Nazi Germany to characterise Jews.
On Tuesday, Lineker deleted the Instagram story and apologised, saying: 'On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references.
'I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.'
