Questions about his rumoured departure from Match of the Day reportedly prompted Gary Lineker to swear at a journalist this week.
But the BBC’s highest-paid star was in a more playful mood on Saturday night as he joked he was hosting his final show amid mounting speculation over his future on the programme.
The BBC denied reports this week that Lineker’s run at the helm of its flagship football show was coming to an end. It said on Thursday that nothing had been agreed and that Lineker was under contract until the end of the football season.
Lineker, who has an annual salary of £1.35m, made light of the rumours on Saturday as he introduced this week’s edition of the football highlights show on BBC One.
“Hello. Seven games on the way and it’s my final show,” he said. But after pausing, he added: “Before the international break.”
Alan Shearer and his fellow pundit Micah Richards smiled at the quip during the opening minute of the show, which will not air next week while the Premier League stops to allow its players to fulfil international fixtures.
The Daily Mail reported this week that it had seen a draft email saying that Saturday would be Lineker’s final appearance as Match of the Day host.
The newspaper said it could not verify the authenticity of the email, which included a tribute from the BBC director general, Tim Davie. It added that when a MailOnline reporter doorstepped Lineker to ask about the rumours, the former England striker said: “Fuck off, I won’t talk to you. Go away.”
Lineker’s contract is due to run out next year and there has been speculation over whether he will remain after public clashes with the corporation culminated in a staff mutiny last year.
He was taken off air by the BBC in March 2023 after writing on X that the language used by the government to launch a policy on small boat crossings was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”. But Lineker was reinstated after some of his colleagues pulled out of shows in solidarity.
The 63-year-old opened up about his future on the show in an interview with BBC Breakfast in August. Lineker said it had been a privilege to present the show for the last 25 years and that he did not know how long he had left on it. “It depends how long they want me, I suppose,” he said. “I love doing it at the moment. I’ve still got another year left, at least. So we’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
On Sunday, the BBC reiterated its position and would not comment on Lineker’s remarks. A spokesperson said: “We have nothing to announce and we have not agreed next steps with regard to his contract. He is under contract until the end of the season.”
