Gary Lineker is removed by the BBC without a severance package: Match of the Day host set to host last show on Sunday after controversy over anti-Semitism comments – he calls it ‘the right thing to do.’

Gary Lineker was today axed by the BBC in shame over his antisemitic Instagram post about Zionism featuring a rat. 

The 64-year-old has apologised yet again and admitted his exit is ‘the responsible course of action’.

After 26 years in the role, he will host his final Match of the Day on Sunday without receiving any extra money beyond his annual £1.4million salary, according to MailOnline.

Danny Cohen, the former head of BBC Television and a well-known figure in London’s Jewish community, has expressed opposition to giving Lineker a special farewell this weekend. Cohen alleges that the BBC is facing a significant and widespread issue with antisemitism.

Lineker’s departure from the BBC comes after he shared an Instagram post concerning Zionism that included an image of a rat – a repugnant antisemitic symbol historically used by the Nazis to dehumanize Jewish people.

He said today that he understands ‘the error and upset that I caused’ and will no longer work for the BBC presenting FA Cup matches next season and at the next World Cup in North America in 2026.

A senior insider told MailOnline today that the decision to go early was not Lineker’s and he was ousted. His contract was torn up over the scandal and he leaves without a financial settlement, the source said. 

His departure also spells the end of the licensing deal for his Goalhanger podcasts, The Rest Is Football and The Rest Is History, which will leave BBC Sounds later this year.

Announcing his exit in a BBC statement, the former England footballer said: ‘Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember – both on the pitch and in the studio.

‘I care deeply about the game, and about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years. As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for.

‘However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.’

Minutes after the announcement he published his own Instagram video, apologising again and said it was the ‘right time’ for him and the BBC to go their ‘separate ways’.  

BBC director general Tim Davie also agreed it is the right decision having reportedly lost patience with the BBC’s top-paid presenter.

‘Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made. Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season’, he said.

He continued: ‘Gary has been a defining voice in football coverage for the BBC for over two decades. His passion and knowledge have shaped our sports journalism and earned him the respect of sports fans across the UK and beyond.

‘We want to thank him for the contribution he has made.’

Lineker also shared a video statement on his Instagram account confirming his early departure.  

He said it has been ‘a pleasure and a huge privilege’ following the announcement that he will leave the BBC after this weekend’s Match Of The Day.

‘I would like once again to say I’m sorry, unreservedly, for the hurt and upset caused, it was a genuine mistake and oversight, but I should have been more diligent, I know that. I’ve stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues and against all forms of racism all of my life, including, of course, antisemitism, which I absolutely abhor. There’s no place for it and never should be’, he said.

‘So I think it’s best for all concerned that I step down from BBC presenting duties altogether and not do next season to FA Cup or World Cup, the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday will be my last show. It’s been a pleasure and a huge privilege working with the BBC for 30 years, especially hosting Match Of The Day, a programme that is so close to my heart and an integral part of my life.

‘I’d like to thank all of the quite brilliant, talented and lovely people, both in front and behind the camera that I’ve worked alongside for three decades. You’re the absolute best. The relationship with the BBC has been long and wonderful, but it’s the right time for the organisation and myself to go our separate ways.

‘Thank you also to all of you (fans) for your incredible support and love over so many years. It means the world to me. I’ll see you all on Sunday’.

Alan Shearer, who hosts The Rest Is Football podcast alongside Mr Lineker and Micah Richards, was among those leaving messages alongside the Instagram video.

Writing in the comments, former Newcastle and England captain Shearer said: ‘Thank you for everything.’

Comedian and TV presenter John Bishop wrote: ‘Gary you leave a great legacy as a player, as a presenter and as a man. Good luck with everything else you do next.’

Lineker declined to answer questions as he left his south-west London home on Monday afternoon.

Lineker ran from his front door to his car before driving away, refusing to answer questions from reporters on whether he regretted the manner in which his career at the BBC has come to an end.

The BBC’s Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski, who is in charge of revamping Match of the Day without Mr Lineker, emailed staff following today’s announcement. 

He wrote: You will have seen in the past few minutes that Gary Lineker will be leaving the BBC at the end of the current football season.

‘I appreciate the last week has been difficult and emotional for many of you. Thank you for all the messages and conversations, even if some of them weren’t easy to have. And I hope you understand that I had to wait until now to tell you the news.

‘It is sad to be saying goodbye to such a brilliant broadcaster and I also want to thank Gary for his years of service. As ever, if you have questions, you know where I am.

‘Let’s finish the season strongly with Gary’s final show, enjoy an incredible summer of sport and look forward with excitement to what lies ahead’.

Danny Cohen has told the Daily Telegraph that Lineker should not be allowed to present Match of the Day this weekend.

He said that the BBC has a ‘serious and wide-ranging problem with antisemitism’. 

‘The BBC have made the right decision to part ways with Gary Lineker, but he should not be allowed a final swansong this weekend.

‘And why the BBC’s statement does not even mention anti-Semitism is hard to understand. Given the Nazi echoes of the content shared it will be very hard for many in the Jewish community to see Mr Lineker present Match of the Day again on Sunday. If the racist content had been directed at another community I do not believe a presenter would be allowed to carry on for another week. The BBC has a serious and wide-ranging problem with anti-Semitism. Only much stronger executive leadership can change that.’

It comes after Lineker was widely condemned for his now-deleted Instagram video story which featured a pro-Palestine video featuring an anti-Jewish rat slur.

Following backlash from sections of the Jewish community, the Match of the Day presenter insisted he would ‘never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic’.

Lineker apologised unreservedly for the ‘mistake’ saying ‘that image does not reflect my views’. 

However, BBC bosses were believed to have considered his position as untenable amid allegations of anti-Semitism. 

The image of rats and vermin are considered provocative since they were widely used as propaganda against Jews in 1930s Nazi Germany.

The former England striker was already set to leave his role as presenter of Match of the Day at the end of the season, but will now no longer host the corporation’s coverage of the FA Cup in 2025-26 and the World Cup in 2026.

On Saturday afternoon, he took to TV screens across the country again to front coverage of Crystal Palace’s 1-0 FA Cup final win over Manchester City.

Lineker is listed by the BBC as their highest-paid presenter, receiving £1.4million from the BBC last year. 

He shared the controversial post, originally uploaded by another account, as it featured a critique of Zionism – the belief that there should be a national homeland for Jewish people in Israel.

The BBC stalwart has previously been vocal with his views on the Israeli invasion of Gaza following the October 7 attacks – among other issues – but is not thought to have ever publicly apologised for content he has shared.

Mr Lineker refused to say sorry in 2023 for comparing the then Tory government’s rhetoric over its immigration policy to that of Nazi Germany.

The remark triggered a BBC suspension but this was lifted when colleagues walked out in support of the presenter.

The BBC’s social media rules were then rewritten to say presenters of flagship programmes outside news and current affairs – including Match of the Day – have ‘a particular responsibility to respect the BBC’s impartiality, because of their profile on the BBC’. 

Lineker, however, remained unrepentant about the series of incendiary tweets from 2023 that led to his suspension. 

In an interview published on BBC2 last month, he said: ‘I don’t regret saying them publicly, because I was right – what I said, it was accurate.

‘Why shouldn’t I have an opinion on things? I’m a b***dy footballer who’s turned into a sports presenter’.

In the same interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, he was asked whether it was part of his remit to give a view on Middle East politics.

Lineker said: ‘I’m sorry. It’s more important than the BBC. What’s going on there [Gaza] is the mass murder of thousands of children – probably something that we should have a little opinion on.’

But on Wednesday, after outrage at the rat image intensified, the former England captain said: ‘On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references.

‘I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic. It goes against everything I believe in.

‘The post was removed as soon as I became aware of the issue.

‘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.

‘I take full responsibility for this mistake. That image does not reflect my views. It was an error on my part for which I apologise unreservedly.’

In an interview with The Telegraph this month, Mr Lineker described what is going on in Gaza as ‘beyond depraved.’

He said: ‘We still seem to be on the side of the people who are doing this. We’re still supplying arms.

‘And you think, ‘Wow, how?’ The vast majority of people see it for what it is now.’

On the subject of October 7 he said it was ‘inevitable’ the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land would ’cause massive problems’. 

The 64-year-old added fuel to the fire last week over an unrelated issue – as he appeared to take a swipe at the BBC’s director of sport as of last year, Alex Kay-Jelski, saying he ‘wants to change Match of the Day a bit’.

He told Telegraph Sport: ‘I think [a regime change] has [happened], and that’s what I was alluding to [in an earlier interview].

‘He has his reasons, he wants to change Match of the Day a bit. Ultimately, I don’t think they will, because I don’t see how you move a highlights show away from being about highlights.

‘I think he wants more journalists – he has come from that background. He has got no television experience.’

One BBC staff member, who has since he proved right, claimed the combination of sharing the rat emoji and making the comments about Kay-Jelski could spell the end for Lineker at the BBC.

They said: ‘That is being seen as a real dig at the head of sport, which you just don’t do.

‘But for it to come so soon after the social media controversy makes it a real problem for him.’ 

Earlier this year, Lineker implied that the BBC wanted him to move on from Match of the Day. 

He said: ‘Well, perhaps they want me to leave. There was the sense of that.’