Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleLineker stepped down as presenter of BBC’s Match Of The Day in May last year (Ian Walton/PA Wire)Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker has revealed his "marriage" with the BBC had started to "run out of love" by the time he left the corporation. He stepped down as presenter of BBC’s Match Of The Day in May last year after 26 years, following criticism over him airing his political opinions on social media.His departure came after a row following an Instagram post he made about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult. Lineker told The Louis Theroux Podcast: “I think it’s like a marriage with the BBC. We’d been together for a long time and we were starting to run out of love for each other. I’ll always love the BBC. It’s an amazing, amazing corporation."He now fronts The Rest Is Football podcast, with the series airing as a daily TV show on Netflix for the 2026 World Cup.In fullGary Lineker admits BBC ‘marriage’ ran out of love before Match of the Day exitThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Gary Lineker opens up about ‘marriage’ with the BBC
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleLineker stepped down as presenter of BBC’s Match Of The Day in May last year (Ian Walton/PA Wire)Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker has revealed his "marriage" with the BBC had started to "run out of love" by the time he left the corporation. He stepped down as presenter of BBC’s Match Of The Day in May last year after 26 years, following criticism over him airing his political opinions on social media.His departure came after a row following an Instagram post he made about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult. Lineker told The Louis Theroux Podcast: “I think it’s like a marriage with the BBC. We’d been together for a long time and we were starting to run out of love for each other. I’ll always love the BBC. It’s an amazing, amazing corporation."He now fronts The Rest Is Football podcast, with the series airing as a daily TV show on Netflix for the 2026 World Cup.In fullGary Lineker admits BBC ‘marriage’ ran out of love before Match of the Day exitThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
