Gary Lineker has announced that he will be stepping down from his host position at Match of the Day, a position he has held for 25 years, and leave the BBC for good by 2026.
The former Tottenham and England forward is one of the most recognisable faces in UK football coverage, as well as a veritable national treasure.
Lineker has a long, storied reputation of being a good person. From his days on the pitch, where he didn’t receive a single yellow or red card for his entire career, to his recent history as an outspoken advocate for refugees, and a whole load of other philanthropy in between.
The 63-year-old presenter is also the face of Walkers crisps, the nation’s favourite crisp brand, which somehow lends even more good will to his name.
In a time where BBC presenters are receiving suspended prison sentences for possessing indecent images of children and another is sacked after complaints about workplace conduct, trust in the faces that front our national public service broadcaster has gotten decidedly low.
And while some presenters have been accused of being a mouthpiece for government agenda, Lineker has consistently proven himself to be the opposite (though he is usually made to apologise afterwards).
The highest paid presenter at the BBC made waves in March 2023 when he compared the UK government’s immigration policy to the rule of Nazi Germany, by tweeting: “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?”
Lineker himself has hosted multiple refugees in his home in Barnes, south London. One of these lodgers, a law student named Rasheed, said in 2023: “Although Gary is a star, he leads a simple life. He is never proud of his status. He is a very sympathetic, caring and human-loving man."
The BBC did not react kindly to Lineker’s tweet, which still exists on on X to this day, and punished him for the “impartiality” of its content.
He was taken off air, only for his Match of the Day colleagues, including Alan Shearer and Ian Wright, to refuse to appear in solidarity. The programme was forced to air in silence and a host of other radio and television programmes were pulled from the schedule.
But Lineker’s words had a direct impact. According to the charity Refugees at Home, more than 100 people signed up to host refugees at their houses during the impartiality row.
During the time, law student Rasheed came to Lineker’s defence, saying: “[Gary] has been given the right of freedom, right of thought and expression. So if the institutions react so negatively against the statement of Gary, it is undemocratic and unfair.
“Gary has come forward to defend humanity. It should be a point of pride for the public.”
This is just one of Lineker’s many examples of speaking truth to power. In 2022, the BBC found Lineker had breached its impartiality guidelines over comments he made asking then-foreign secretary Liz Truss if the Conservative party would "hand back their donations from Russian donors" after the invasion of Ukraine.
And before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Lineker was at the forefront of criticism against then-foreign secretary James Cleverly for suggesting LGBT+ football fans be "respectful of the host nation", where homosexuality is illegal.
"Whatever you do, don't do anything Gay. Is that the message?" Lineker said in response to the comments. He then opened the BBC World Cup coverage with a critique of the host country's treatment of migrant workers and record on human rights.
“Ever since Fifa chose Qatar back in 2010, the smallest nation to have hosted football’s greatest competition has faced some big questions,” he said.
“From accusations of corruption in the bidding process to the treatment of migrant workers who built the stadiums, where many lost their lives.
“Homosexuality is illegal here [in Qatar]. Women’s rights and freedom of expression are in the spotlight [...] Stick to football, said Fifa. Well we will, for a couple of minutes at least.”
Most recently, he received criticism after retweeting a call to ban Israel from sporting events until the war comes to and end in Gaza. “You don't need to be Islamophobic to condemn Hamas or antisemitic to condemn Israel. But at the moment it's just awful. Awful.”
Lineker’s popularity gave him a coat of armour when it came to criticising the government. He has been the BBC's highest paid on-air talent for seven consecutive years.
At times, it felt like no one else could have survived that many impartiality rows unscathed. But he did, and he will be missed for it. But by 2026 the chains will be off, and we get to see just how much good Lineker can do when no longer limited by the long arm of the BBC.
