Sports broadcaster Gary Linker to leave the BBC after sharing the Instagram story about Zionism

Gary Laker, famous in England, who has turned into the media, will leave his role as a BBC leader after he was criticized for re -publishing Instagram’s story about Zionism, which appeared a picture of mice.

Linker, 64, was appointed, the highest -paid British broadcaster, who received about 1.3 million pounds (2.42 million Canadian dollars) per year, to leave the most prominent pioneering football Today’s match At the end of this season, but remain with the BBC in front of other football coverage, including the Men’s World Cup next year.

However, the British Broadcasting Corporation said on Monday in a statement that Lineker will completely step down from the company after the final Today’s match The episode at the end of next week, following his decision with the participation of a published by the Palestinian Lobby Group that included a picture of the mouse, entitled: “Explanation of Zionism in two minutes.”

Mice, associated with the disease and dirt, were used to represent the Jews in anti -Semitic propaganda throughout history, including the Nazis in Germany in the thirties of the twentieth century.

“Gary confessed to the mistake he made,” said Tim Devi, General Manager of the BBC. “Accordingly, we agreed that it will back down from making more application after this season.”

Apologize

Linker had already apologized for his behavior, saying last week that he re -drafted the materials that he later learned “offensive references”, adding that he withdrew the post as soon as he realized the case and “will never share anything hostile to Semitism.”

Before Lineker, Davie said that the company needs people to be “models of BBC values ​​and follow our social media policies” and that “when someone commits a mistake, it costs us.”

“Football was in the heart of my life as long as I could remember it – whether on the field or in the studio,” Linker said in a BBC statement. “I carefully care about the game and the work I have done with the BBC for many years. As I said, I will not re -consciously re -consciously anything against Semitism – it contradicts everything that I agree with.

“However, I realize the error and disturbance that I caused and repeat how sorry. The retreat now seems to be the path of responsible work.”

In a separate video clip on Instagram, Linker said he made a “real mistake” and “should have been more useful.”

“I stood for minorities, humanitarian issues and all forms of racism throughout my life, including anti -Semitism, of course, which completely disturbed it,” he said. “There is no place for that and it should not be.”

Tense relationship with BBC

Openness in Lineker, unlike his political views on social media
Neutral guidelines.

He was temporarily suspended from the Foundation in March 2023 because of its comments criticizing the new asylum policy in the governorate government at the time. This has led to the rewriting of the BBC rules on social media publications to say that prominent programs outside the news have “a responsibility to respect the BBC’s neutrality because of their PBC’s personal file.”

Lineker was among the 500 high -level people who signed an open speech in February urging the BBC to re -broadcast a documentary, Gaza: How to survive a war areaTo the BBC broadcast service. The documentary was withdrawn after it appeared that his 13 -year -old narrator was the son of Hamas.

Last week, in an interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper, a day after his first apology, Linker spoke about Israel’s behavior in the war against Hamas in Gaza, saying that those who remained silent about him were “almost complicit”.

A profession

The BBC has lost something of a patriotic treasure that has become very known as an anchor because he was a football player.

Lineker is one of the greatest players of England – he scored 48 goals in 80 games for his country and was a leading top scorer in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico – who moved to a TV presenter known for his ingenious personality, ingenuity and knowledge, with 8.7 million followers on X and 1.2 million followers on Instagram. It was a major introduction to the BBC Today’s match Since 1999 he has used his position as a store to work in other broadcasters such as NBC, Al Jazerera and BT Sport.

Lineker, who played football in his club with Everton, Tottenham and Barcelona, ​​is the co-founder of the very successful PodCasts tohanger program-popular maker The rest is history Series and rotation on politics, football, entertainment and money.

Reaction

The Lineker campaign was welcomed by BBC by the campaign against anti -Semitism, which it said had become a “symbol of the game in the heart of our national broadcaster.”

The group added that Lineker “has repeatedly allowed the BBC neutral bases, which led to the abuse of his position to promote his increasing propaganda policies, and the grumbling of those who disagree with them and even promote inhumane and extremist messages.”

“Gary was a distinctive voice in the BBC football for more than two decades,” said Devi. “His passion and his knowledge of sports journalism and gained him respect for sports fans throughout the United Kingdom and beyond. We want to thank him for the contribution he made.”

Today’s match, Kelly Kitts, Mark Chapman and Jabi Logan will host a late night program that has been operated since the 1960s and is considered an institution in Britain, and the beginning of the 2025-26 season. None of them is the former football players.