BELGIAN
Great player vs. Great mass
Former Leicester, Tottenham and Barcelona player, Gary Lineker is the embodiment of British class. The man with 48 goals in 80 caps, who has never taken a single card in his entire career, enjoys the status of an opinion leader in England, notably with his nine million subscribers on X.
Match Of The Day celebrated its sixtieth anniversary this year. Sixty years of broadcasting unencrypted summaries of weekend matches. A high mass attended by two million Britons, but from which young people are moving away, captivated by the greater responsiveness of the Internet.
A controversy
In March 2023, he denounced the government’s plan against illegal immigration based on instant detention and return to a third country like Rwanda. “A policy of immeasurable cruelty towards vulnerable people. The language is reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s,” he said. He also campaigned against Brexit and welcomed refugees into his home.
Under pressure from the authorities, the BBC suspended him from the air following the controversy. Faced with support from the left, from his colleagues, including the highly regarded Alan Shearer and Alex Scott, and from Premier League clubs, the public channel reinstated him after a week. But something would have broken between the presenter and the BBC.
Too big a contract
Lineker has been the face of the show since 1999. His departure was not particularly planned, since he was still negotiating the renewal of his contract with the BBC this fall. A contract worth 1.5 million euros per year, divided between MOTD and other one-off services, such as The Rest Is Football, a successful podcast, which makes him the highest paid presenter on the BBC.
If he was prepared to cut his salary, it was not enough for the BBC. But has she made the necessary efforts? According to The Sun, Gary Lineker and the new sports boss, Alex Kay-Jelski, who would like to rejuvenate his channel, do not like each other very much. Above all, the BBC was asked to make savings. We are talking about 850 million euros.
Who to replace him?
The former player admitted that his departure also came from a desire to slow down, at 64 years old. But he will remain a consultant at the BBC for the England Cup and for the next World Cup in 2026.
The next MOTD presenter could be a female presenter. Former player Alex Scott, who currently hosts Football Focus on the BBC, and Gabby Logan, who has already been presenting sports for twenty years, are indeed among the favorites.
