Gary Lineker left in disbelief by BBC WhatsApp group message about him | Football | Sport
Gary Lineker has admitted to being shocked by the loyalty shown by a BBC colleague following his brief suspension from Match of the Day in March 2023. The former England striker presented the long-running programme from 1999 until 2025.
The 65-year-old came under scrutiny at the time following comments he made on social media about the government’s asylum policy. He described the plans as “beyond awful” and claimed the language used was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”. The BBC subsequently stated that Lineker would not present Match of the Day until an agreement could be reached over his social media use. However, this decision saw many of the BBC’s sports presenters and pundits stand with Lineker, including Match of the Day co-star Ian Wright, who informed the host of his intentions in a WhatsApp group.
“I mean, Wrighty was first,” Lineker recalled when discussing the incident on The Louis Theroux Podcast. “I was in a restaurant in London having lunch and got the news that they’d taken me off the show, which I saw on social media.
“They didn’t tell me personally first, which I thought was a bit strange. And the day before I was having a chat, we had a little WhatsApp group chat with Alan [Shearer] and Wrighty and I said, ‘I’ve got a feeling they might take me off the show,’ and Wright immediately came back, “Well if they do that, I’m not doing it in solidarity. I’m not doing Match of the Day.’ It was like a real wow moment. Because I didn’t ask them to do that.”
The situation led the BBC to air Match of the Day without commentary or pundits. The broadcast company subsequently released a joint statement from Director-General Tim Davie and Lineker confirming that the presenter’s suspension had ended and that the BBC would be reviewing its social media guidance.
“Everyone recognises this has been a difficult period for staff, contributors, presenters and, most importantly, our audiences,” Davie said in a BBC statement. “I apologise for this. The potential confusion caused by the grey areas of the BBC’s social media guidance that was introduced in 2020 is recognised. I want to get matters resolved and our sport content back on air.”
Reflecting on the incident, Lineker told The Louis Theroux Podcast: “I was totally at ease with what I’d done. I thought it was humanitarian, someone was having a real dig at me and not in a very nice manner. I responded, I thought I was factually correct.”
Lineker ultimately left Match of the Day at the end of the 2024/25 season. He was initially scheduled to continue covering the FA Cup and the World Cup 2026 for the BBC, but those plans were changed in May 2025 following further scrutiny over his social media activity.
