Gary Lineker, the BBC's highest-paid presenter, is leaving the network following a series of controversial social media posts that defied the corporation's editorial guidelines. His most recent mistake came when he shared a video by the Palestine Lobby that included anti-Semitic imagery. This incident caps a challenging period for Lineker, previously suspended for similar misconduct. His departure marks an ignoble end to a contentious association with the BBC, especially with major events like the World Cup on the horizon. Lineker's steadfastness in speaking out on controversial topics ultimately led to his downfall.
His fate was arguably sealed the moment he took to Instagram Story at around lunchtime last Monday to share a video by the campaign group Palestine Lobby with his 1.2 million followers.
Lineker's refusal to follow the guidelines finally cost him his £1.35 million-a-year job, culminating in his immediate departure from the BBC.
This is the same Lineker who, barely two years earlier, had used his X account to compare the rhetoric of the then Conservative Government around immigration to that which triggered the Holocaust.
In January last year, he shared an X post calling for Israel to be thrown out of international football, only to delete it after apparently misunderstanding the message.
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