Gary Lineker, England’s football, the celebrity of the thick socks, will leave its role as a BBC presenter after facing criticism To publish an Instagram story about Zionism that presented an image of a rat.
Lineker, 64, who is the best paid presenter of the British station with approximately 1.3 million pounds ($ 1.7 million) a year, was established to leave The most prominent aspects of flagship football show “Match of the Day” at the end of this season, but remain with the BBC to face another football coverage, including next year’s World Cup.
However, the BBC said Monday in a statement That Lineker will completely renounce the corporation after the final episode of the “game of the day” next weekend following its decision to share a group position, Palestine Lobby, illustrated with an image of a rat, entitled: “The Zionism explained in two minutes.”
Rats, linked to disease and dirt, have been used to represent the Jews in anti -Semitic propaganda throughout history, including For the Nazis In the 1930s, Germany.
“Gary has recognized the mistake he made,” said BBC general, Tim Davie. “Consequently, we have agreed that it will retreat from a greater presentation after this season.”
Lineker already apologized for his behavior, saying that last week he published again material that he later learned contained “offensive references”, and added that he withdrew the position as soon as he realized the problem and “would never share anything anti -Semitic.”
Before Lineker’s apology, Davie said the corporation needed people to be the “specimens of the BBC values and follow our social media policies” and that “when someone makes a mistake, it costs us.”
“Football has been in the heart of my life since I have memory, both in the countryside and in the study,” said Lineker in the BBC statement. “I care deeply the game, and for the work I have done with the BBC for many years. As I said, I would never consciously publish anything anti -Semitic, it goes against everything it represents.
“However, I recognize the error and discomfort that I caused, and I reiterate how much I feel it. Passing now feels like the responsible action course.”
In Separate video publication On Instagram, Lineker said he had made a “genuine error” and “should have been more diligent.”
“I have defended minorities and humanitarian problems and all forms of racism all my life, including anti -Semitism, which I approach absolutely,” he said. “There is no place for that, and it should never be.”
The opening of Lineker to reflect its political views on social networks has caused a growing friction with the BBC with respect to its impartiality guidelines.
He was temporarily suspended From the Corporation in March 2023 on the comments, he criticized the new asylum policy of the conservative government. It led to the BBC rules in social media publications that were rewritten to say that the presenters of high profile programs outside the news had the “responsibility to respect the impartiality of the BBC, due to their profile in the BBC.”
Lineker was among the 500 high profile figures signed an open letter in February urging the BBC to transmit a documentary, “Gaza: how to survive a war zone”, at its transmission service, BBC IPLAYER. The documentary was withdrawn after it arose that his 13 -year -old narrator was the son of a Hamas official.
Last week, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper that arrived a day after its initial apology, Lineker talked about Israel’s behavior in the War against Hamas in GazaTo say that those who remained silent about it were “almost complicit.”
BBC has lost something like a National Treasury who has become almost as known as a announcer as a soccer player.
Lineker is one of England’s best players: he scored 48 goals in 80 games for his country and was the top scorer in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, which became an elegant, ingenious and knowledgeable television television personality of television and a beloved media, with 8.7 million followers in X and 1.2 million followers on Instagram. He has been the main presenter of the “Match of the Day” of the BBC since 1999 and has used his status as an independent professional to work for other broadcasters such as NBC, Al Jazeera and BT Sport.
Lineker, who played his club football for Everton, Tottenham and Barcelona, is the co-founder of the successful “Goalhanger” podcasts, the manufacturer of the popular series “The rest is history” and its spin-offs on politics, football, entertainment and money.
Lineker’s departure of the BBC was welcomed by the campaign against anti -Semitism, which said it had become “a symbol of rot in the heart of our national station.”
Lineker, the group added, “it was repeatedly allowed to make fun of the BBC’s own rules about impartiality, abusing its position to promote its increasingly propagandist policy, vilify to those who do not agree and even promote dehumanizing and extreme messages.”
Lineker has accepted that being open with his views would make him a goal, but, for many, he has strengthened his status as more popular figures in Great Britain.
“Gary has been a defining voice in football coverage for BBC for more than two decades,” Davie said. “His passion and knowledge have shaped our sports journalism and they have earned him the respect of sport fans throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. We want to thank him for the contribution he has made.”
“Match of the Day”, a night program that has been operating since the 1960s and is considered an institution in Britain, will be organized by Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan for the beginning of the 2025-26 season. None of them are former soccer players.
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