The ex England strike has issued an apology after a number of BBC staff were left furious with the Match of the Day host
Gary Lineker has issued an apology after causing upset among BBC staff due to his “repeated offensiveness to Jewish people”, following his sharing of a pro-Palestine video.
Lineker, 64, caused distress among his colleagues at the corporation after he shared a pro-Palestine video from the campaign group, Palestine Lobby, which included an ‘anti-Semitic’ rat emoji on Monday.
In response to the backlash, Lineker stated: “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 antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.”
The Match of the Day presenter confirmed that he deleted the post “as soon as I became aware of the issue”.
The former England striker has now removed the post but has faced criticism from staff and social media users.
As reported by The Telegraph, the lack of response from the BBC to Lineker’s actions has left some staff members dissatisfied.
An anonymous staff member criticised Lineker, claiming his actions have ‘brought the organisation into disrepute’.
“It is quite simply disgusting that the BBC has not kicked Lineker out,” they said. “His repeated offensiveness to Jewish people has clearly brought the BBC into disrepute.
“The interpretation of Zionism he has shared is anti-Semitic and the fact that the BBC thinks it’s acceptable is deeply upsetting to its Jewish staff, myself included.”
Another insider claimed the BBC squandered the “perfect opportunity” to dismiss Lineker when he was previously suspended for remarks about the past Government, stating: “He’s the perfect example of someone who doesn’t think the rules apply to them and abuses them at every turn – the type highlighted in the culture review, published no more than a fortnight ago.”
Lineker’s representative responded to the incident, saying: “Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post,” and clarified “Although if he had, he would not have made any connection. The repost has been removed.”
The Campaign Against Antisemitism organisation demanded the BBC fire Lineker after he shared the contentious post, commenting: “Nothing to see here,” on X. “Just Gary Lineker’s Instagram account sharing an anti-Israel video misrepresenting Zionism, complete with a rat emoji.”
They further criticised the content, saying: “Not only does this video deliberately misrepresent Zionism – the belief that Jews have the same right to self-determination as everyone else – but it adds a rat emoji in doing so. Why is it that Gary Lineker keeps sharing content on social media that seems to cater to Jew-haters?”.
Amidst increasing scrutiny over Lineker’s role, BBC’s director general Tim Davie acknowledged that Lineker’s behaviour has ‘cost’ the broadcaster and emphasised the importance of adhering to the corporation’s social media guidelines.
BBC boss Davie stated: “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,”.
It is expected that Lineker will step down from presenting Match of the Day after the 2024/25 season. However, he is set to continue working with the BBC, hosting their FA Cup and World Cup coverage, as per his contract until next year.
