Is Gary Lineker leaving MOTD? Many have been keen to know after the Match of the Day host received a warning from the BBC.
The 62-year-old left Home Secretary Suella Braverman “disappointed” with his furious response to the UK Government’s new Stop the Boats campaign.
As a result, the BBC reached out to remind him of his responsibilities after he compared the language used by Braverman to that of Nazi Germany.
Amid the backlash, some have wondered if Lineker will be leaving Match of the Day.
Is Gary Lineker leaving MOTD?
Well, there has been nothing to suggest that Lineker’s Twitter activity will cost him his job on Match of the Day permanently.
However, the former England and Barcelona striker’s role as host of the BBC’s flagship football show does have an expiry date.
As things stand, Lineker’s contract with the BBC expires in 2025 – as revealed on their official website.
UPDATE: The BBC have now announced that Lineker will be taking a “step back” from presenting Match of the Day until an “agreement is reached on his social media use” in what is an utterly ridiculous decision.
The Leicester-born presenter first started hosting Match of the Day back in 1999 after previously working as a pundit on the show.
Lineker’s five-year contract extension signed back in September 2020 saw him take a 23% pay cut, with his earnings dropping from £1.8m to £1.3m annually, as detailed by the Guardian.
As aforesaid, the BBC have made no comments which suggest that they will permanently terminate his contract in the aftermath of his tweet.
However – in our view, at least – the fact he has officially been reminded of his responsibilities suggests that there is something written into his contract which states he cannot continue to use social media in this manner.
Rumours emerged that Lineker would be leaving Match of the Day back in May with James Corden lined up as his replacement, which he quickly played down on Twitter.
He wrote: “Getting a number of texts from friends asking if I’m quitting MOTD after reports on Twitter of my possible successor. So it’s only fair I give you the bad news now: I’m afraid I still have 3 years to run on my contract, so you’re stuck with me for a while.”
For now, Lineker is staying on Match of the Day – however, it remains to be seen if the BBC will extend his contract when it expires in 2025.
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