Gary Lineker won’t be working for the BBC at this summer’s World Cup for the first time in over three decades. The former England striker fronted their football coverage for many years but is no longer on their books, having left the BBC last year. Instead, he will be hosting a daily version of The Rest Is Football on Netflix alongside regular co-hosts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
They will be joined by a number of special guests including Harry Maguire, Frank Lampard, Millie Bright, Patrick Vieira, Romesh Ranganathan and Niall Horan. Roving reporters Rob Jones and Alex Aljoe will offer an insight into the England camp throughout the tournament, as well as the other teams involved.
This summer’s World Cup will mark the first edition that Lineker hasn’t worked for the BBC since 1994, as he started hosting their coverage in 1998.
He was initially scheduled for the lead presenting role once again, having signed a one-year contract extension with the BBC to take him beyond the 2025/26 season.
However, the 65-year-old abruptly dropped his commitments last summer following the outbreak of an antisemitism row, sparked by a post on social media.
He shared a video about Zionism which featured an image of a rat, which has historically been used as an insult referring to language used by Nazi Germany about Jewish people.
In a statement, Lineker apologised for the post and insisted that he would never knowingly post offensive content directed at a particular group of people.
He 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 antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.”
“You’ve got to have your own morals,” he explained. “It was like a marriage. It petered out. The only regret I have is missing the [rat] emoji. Nothing else.
“I apologised immediately and then I apologised again. I don’t think anyone thinks it was deliberate, but I apologised because it was a mistake. I didn’t see it. I’m not that stupid.”
Lineker also fired a subtle dig at the BBC in a nod to their strict impartiality rules, which he regularly flaunted due to his outspoken nature.
“I love the BBC, I always will,” he said. “I have a huge amount of respect for it. It turns out some incredible television and I think we did in sport.
“But I’m enjoying life without having to tread on eggshells and everything’s going really well. So no, I don’t miss it at all.”