BBC’s main soccer presenter Gary Lineker leaves broadcaster over antisemitic post

Gary Lineker, the former English soccer star who became a leading sports broadcaster on the BBC, announced his departure from the British broadcaster on Monday after facing criticism for reposting an antisemitic Instagram story.

“I recognize the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action,” Lineker said in a statement.

Lineker came under fire after sharing an Instagram post to his story on Tuesday from the Palestine Lobby group, illustrated with a picture of a rat, titled: “Zionism explained in two minutes.”

Rats, linked to disease and dirt, have been used to represent Jews in antisemitic propaganda throughout history, including by the Nazis in 1930s Germany.

The 64-year-old Lineker — the British national broadcaster’s highest-paid presenter at about 1.3 million pounds ($1.7 million) a year — had been set to leave flagship soccer highlights show “Match of the Day” at the end of this season but to remain with the BBC to front other soccer coverage, including next year’s men’s World Cup.

However, the BBC said Monday in a statement that Lineker will step down entirely from the corporation after the final “Match of the Day” episode next weekend in the wake of his post.

“Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season,” BBC director general Tim Davie said in a statement.

Lineker apologized “unreservedly” on Wednesday for the post, adding that he only learned it contained “offensive references” after the fact and immediately deleted it.

“I take full responsibility for this mistake,” Lineker said at the time. “I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.”

“Whilst I strongly believe in the importance of speaking out on humanitarian issues, including the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, I also know that how we do so matters,” he continued.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism urged the BBC to sack Lineker, who is also the co-founder of the hugely successful “Goalhanger” podcasts, makers of the popular “The Rest is History” series and its spin-offs about politics, soccer, entertainment and money.

“As the BBC’s highest-paid presenter and owner of a major media enterprise, maybe he knows exactly what he’s doing,” a spokesperson for the organization said. “Having looked the other way until now, at this point, it is clear that Mr. Lineker’s continued association with the BBC is untenable. He must go.”

The BBC has faced heavy scrutiny over the past 18 months for what many perceive to be an anti-Israel slant to its coverage of the war in Gaza.

In February, the news service was forced to apologize after it emerged that a new documentary titled “Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone” had been narrated by the son of Hamas’s former deputy minister of agriculture.

BBC chair Samir Shah said at the time that the documentary was a “dagger to the heart” of the broadcaster’s impartiality, and vowed that “appropriate action” would be taken.

Lineker was among 500 other high-profile figures who signed an open letter in February urging the BBC to re-broadcast the documentary to its streaming service, BBC iPlayer.

More widely, the BBC has been criticized for its refusal to describe Hamas as terrorists, even though the group’s military wing is proscribed by the United Kingdom as such, and even after the widespread documentation of its systematic targeting of civilians on October 7, 2023.