Gary Lineker's signed angry BBC letter, quit second job and Vladimir Putin regret
Gary Lineker has had several run-ins with his employer.
Gary Lineker’s employment with the BBC has been a storied and controversial tale spanning over two decades.
He has fronted Match of the Day for 25 years and is one of the corporation’s highest-profile presenters, but often had a contentious clash of views with the broadcaster he represents.
The 64-year-old will stand down from MOTD at the end of the season, having already cut ties with one Beeb role, but disputes remain ongoing between the two parties.
Here, Express Sport has taken a look at Lineker’s complicated relationship with the BBC.
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Accusing BBC of ‘bowing to censorship’
A staunch supporter of human rights, Lineker was among 500 media figures who urged the BBC to reinstate a Gaza documentary.
He, alongside the likes of Ruth Negga, Juliet Stevenson and Miriam Margolyes, wrote a letter to the broadcaster condemning them for pulling ‘Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone’ from BBC iPlayer.
The decision was made pending a “due diligence” exercise after it emerged that the 14-year-old narrator was the son of a deputy agriculture minister in the territory’s Hamas-run government.
The letter described the film as an “essential piece of journalism” and accused critics of making “racist assumptions” about Palestinians.
It continued to read: “The UK film and TV industry will no longer be intimidated by those whose sole mission it is to censor the voices of the many who are defending the rights of children, the marginalised and those in desperate need.”
Impartiality controversy
Lineker was briefly taken off MOTD in 2023 after breaching impartiality guidelines, having criticised the Conservative government’s asylum policy on Twitter, now called X.
He was then reinstated after a host of his colleagues boycotted their respective TV and radio shows out of solidarity, before the BBC made alterations to their guidelines.
The media veteran has since described the row as a “lovers’ tiff” and promised to tone down his views on social media for the next General Election.
“I am anyway,” he told The Guardian. “Not because of anything to do with the BBC… I’ve always tried to tweet sensibly and am not a tribal person. I just look at what is right and what is wrong.
“Obviously [X has] always been a bit of a cesspit but it’s just become increasingly toxic. You can’t have a nuanced conversation on there any more so I’ve stepped away from that side of things… I don’t enjoy the experience now.”
Stepping down from roles
Lineker will host his final MOTD show on the last day of the Premier League season, Sunday, May 25, though also stepped down from his position of BBC Sports Personality of the Year host.
Lineker's 23rd and final appearance saw him present alongside Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott, with England goalkeeper Mary Earps crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023.
Disappointed fans will find some relief that Lineker will front the broadcaster’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup alongside the FA Cup, in addition to his MOTD Top Ten podcast.
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Vladimir Putin regret
Often outspoken, Lineker has reflected on the time he bit his tongue and regrets it - concerning Russia and Vladimir Putin.
Ahead of the 2018 World Cup, there were calls for Russia to be stripped of their hosting duties after it annexed Crimea and was accused of supplying arms to pro-Russian separatists, who were suspected of shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine.
"I think we were all going how great it [the World Cup] was, and this and that and the other, and that's how sportwashing works," Lineker said.
"We've seen what Putin's done subsequently, but he'd done it before. I think looking back now in hindsight, I think we should probably have spoken out more."
