Former Leicester City striker and Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker couldn’t resist a cheeky jibe at Nottingham Forest ahead of the two sides’ meeting in the FA Cup this weekend.
Forest host Leicester at the City Ground on Sunday in the fourth round of the world’s oldest football competition, but Lineker won’t be there - he has returned a positive Covid test this week after falling ill on his return from South Africa.
So Lineker will be watching like many Forest and Foxes supporters who aren’t attending themselves, but after he broke the news of his feeling under the weather, he was teed up for a dig at Forest by fellow ex-England international and BBC pundit Alan Shearer.
“Long time since I got between the lines,” Lineker confirmed on Twitter. “Arrived back from Cape Town early this morning. Started feeling a little unwell on the flight. Sorry to those sitting near, although I wore a mask for the entirety of the journey as didn’t eat. Hope I didn’t pass it on to anyone on BA42.
“Thanks for all the well wishes. You’re a lovely lot. Thanks too, to the brilliant scientists for the vaccines that should mean i won’t be seriously ill and clog up our brilliant NHS.
“Gutted to miss our live @BBCSport FA Cup 4th round ties though. Always the most fun.”
“No FA cup jibe for once then!!!! Get well soon,” Shearer replied.
Lineker, who played in Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Forest at Wembley in the 1991 FA Cup final, quipped in response: “Even though we’re covering Forest v Leicester there’s no way I would have mentioned beating @NFFC in the FA Cup Final in 1991.”
Forest, ironically, saw off Spurs’ North London rivals Arsenal in the third round of the Cup and they’ll have to see off more top flight opposition in the form of an East Midlands rival to progress to the fifth round.
