'I'M SORRY, UNRESERVEDLY'
Gary Lineker’s statement in full as he officially quits BBC after anti-Semitism row – and WON’T get pay off
Watch Lineker's apology in the player
GARY Lineker has today officially quit the BBC and will no longer front the 2026 World Cup coverage following an anti-Semitism row.
The former Leicester City, Tottenham, Barcelona and England striker, who has hosted Match of the Day for 26 years, has said: "I'm sorry, unreservedly."
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Lineker will make his final appearance on the Beeb's flagship football show on Sunday to present coverage of the Premier League's end of season matches.
He said in a statement released at midday on Monday: "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 anti-Semitic – 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."
He will reportedly not receive a pay off despite being the broadcaster's highest paid star, raking in £1.35million a year, according to .
The parting of ways also includes the licensing deal for Lineker's Goalhanger podcast titles, The Rest Is Football and The Rest Is History, which ends this year, it is understood.
Lineker agreed to leave the BBC for good after meeting bosses last week - with a source saying he realised his position was untenable.
The MOTD host’s early departure comes five days after he apologised for sharing a controversial post which saw him accused of anti-Semitism.
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Lineker, 64, faced a huge backlash after he re-posted a video which criticised Zionism and included an illustration of a rat.
Alongside his statement today, he also released a video on his Instagram page in which he said: "I would like to say once again I am sorry, unreservedly, for the hurt and upset caused.
'No offence lads' - Gary Lineker gives no-nonsense Match of the Day verdict in savage goodnight message
"It was a genuine mistake and oversight but I should have been more diligent."
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, said: "Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made.
"Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season.
"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."
His final years as MOTD host have been marred by his outspoken views and fallouts with bosses.
He is now likely to focus on his successful Goalhanger Podcasts business.
Lineker's statement comes after The Sun revealed he was planning to step down following the scandal.
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Gary had been due to host the BBC’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup but his final bow will be on Sunday, we exclusively revealed.
A source told The Sun previously: “Gary acknowledged his position at the BBC, anchoring the most prestigious tournament in world football, was untenable, and he will not be hosting the World Cup.
“He offered to step down at the end of the season, and did not want the BBC — an organisation he still holds in the highest of esteem — dragged into any further controversy.
“He remains absolutely devastated by the recent turn of events and is deeply regretful about how his post was interpreted.
"His last Match of the Day will air on Sunday now and he won’t be back.”
Those close to the star said his exit means he will be able to speak more freely.
They added: “Gary remains passionate about speaking out over perceived injustices in the world, and will continue to call out things that he believes to be wrong.
“He will be able to speak without the shackles of the non-partisan BBC, and has already had a lot of TV offers to mull over.
“And, of course, he will be cheering on England like any other fan this summer.”
How Gary Lineker became the BBC's highest paid star
Gary Lineker has hosted Match Of The Day for more than 25 years but will leave the role earlier than expected following a row over his use of social media.
The Leicester-born star, who moved seamlessly from footballer to one of the most famous and highly-paid presenters at the corporation, began his career at Leicester City, the club he had supported since childhood, in 1978.
The 64-year-old striker scored 103 goals for the Foxes in all competitions before signing with Everton for £800,000 in 1985.
He scored 40 goals in 57 games for the Toffees in his only season with the Liverpool-based side, before his six goals for England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico won him the competition's golden boot award and attracted the attention of Spanish football giants Barcelona.
Moving to the Catalan side in 1986, Lineker went on to become the highest scoring British player in La Liga, Spain's highest football division, under English manager Terry Venables.
His record 42 goals was only beaten by Welsh winger Gareth Bale in 2016.
Lineker spent three years in Spain before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in July 1989 for £1.1 million.
He played a part in England's run to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, which resulted in a defeat on penalties against West Germany.
After the match, Lineker, who captained the Lions from 1990 to 1992, coined the phrase: "Football is a simple game: 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win."
He won the 1991 FA Cup final with Spurs, beating Nottingham Forest 2-1 despite having a goal controversially disallowed for offside and Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley saving a penalty.
In 1992, Lineker became the first English footballer to play in Japan's highest division, the J League, when he joined Nagoya Grampus Eight for £2 million.
He retired after an injury-hit two-year spell at the club which saw him play just 23 times.
Throughout his career Lineker was renowned for never receiving a yellow or red card booking from the referee.
Following his retirement, Lineker joined BBC Radio 5 Live as a football pundit before becoming a team captain on the sports game show They Think It's All Over from 1995 to 2003.
In 1997 he took over as host of Grandstand when then-presenter Desmond Lynam was at Aintree for the Grand National which was abandoned due to a bomb alert.
He replaced Lynam as presenter of the BBC's flagship football highlights programme Match Of The Day in 1999, when Lynam defected to rival ITV.
Lineker would later become the corporation's highest-paid presenter, with the BBC's annual report for 2023/24 showing his salary to be to around £1.35 million a year.
He was temporarily suspended from the BBC in March 2023 after an impartiality row over comments he made criticising the then-government's new asylum policy.
In November 2024 he announced he would be stepping down from presenting Match Of The Day at the end of the season, but would still host World Cup and FA Cup coverage.
He exited the broadcaster early, however, after apologising for sharing and then deleting a post on his Instagram account from the group Palestine Lobby, illustrated with a picture of a rat, which prompted calls for him to be sacked from the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA).
After this the BBC said Lineker would leave his presenting role following the conclusion of Match Of The Day for the 2024/25 season and added that he would not present its coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season's FA Cup.
Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman will share the presenting role on the football show from the next Premier League season.
The former England striker is also the co-founder of Goalhanger Podcasts, makers of the popular The Rest Is History series and its spin-offs about politics, football, entertainment and money.
Last Tuesday Gary deleted an Instagram story post from the group Palestine Lobby after he had shared it with his 1.2million followers.
The re-post led to widespread calls for the BBC to drop Gary and the charity Campaign Against Antisemitism said it was submitting a complaint to the corporation.
HATE ROW APOLOGY
In a statement that day, Gary’s agent said: “Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post.
“Although if he had, he would not have made any connection. The repost has been removed.”
On Wednesday Gary apologised and 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.”
BBC Director General Tim Davie addressed the backlash the same day, saying: “The BBC’s reputation is held by everyone and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us.
“And I think we absolutely need people to be the exemplars of BBC values and follow our social media policies, simple as that.”
Last October The Sun revealed that Gary would quit Match of the Day at the end of this season — but anchor the BBC’s 2025/26 FA Cup coverage and the World Cup.
He previously clashed with bosses for pushing the BBC’s impartiality rules but has staunchly defended using social media to speak out.
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In 2023 he was temporarily removed from MOTD after likening the then-Tory government’s asylum policy to rhetoric of Nazi Germany.
His co-presenters Alan Shearer and Ian Wright then boycotted the show and it went ahead without post-match analysis.
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