Gary Lineker has been one of the most recognizable figures in sports for decades, both on the football field and on television.
The Match of the Day host has returned to the front pages after his criticism of the Government’s asylum plans triggered an impartiality controversy.
The 62-year-old is one of the most recognizable figures linked with the broadcaster and is an integral component of the British football environment.
After a brilliant career as a striker for England, Leicester City, Everton, Spurs, and Barcelona, which concluded in Japan, he took over as host of the BBC’s football highlights program in 1999.
Lineker, one of the highest-paid presenters at the broadcaster, is regarded by many as one of the BBC’s faces, and he has not shied away from utilizing his prominent profile to convey his political opinions.
His forthright stances on difficult issues have gained him praise and criticism in equal measure, and have occasionally given BBC executives a headache.
Due to the corporation’s commitment to objectivity, personnel and celebrities are obliged to adhere to guidelines regarding the expression of political viewpoints in BBC content and on social media.
Yet Lineker, who is legally a freelancer and not an employee of the BBC, has not always kept his mouth shut.
In 2022, he tweeted a report about then-Foreign Secretary Liz Truss calling for a Champions League final boycott in Russia. He inquired,
“Would her political party return contributions from Russian donors?”
The Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) of the BBC upheld a complaint and concluded that, as “one of the BBC’s most prominent stars,” he did not meet the corporation’s editorial standards on impartiality.
In 2018, while the Tories had a vote of no confidence in Theresa May, the then-prime minister, Lineker made a series of tweets criticizing Jeremy Corbyn indirectly.
Two years prior, he criticized the media for being “horrendously racist and callous” against refugees.
He has taken in refugees and talked eloquently about the need to safeguard those in need who enter the country.
Gary Lineker has steadfastly defended his right to speak out on matters that are important to him, frequently to his 8.7 million Twitter followers, despite criticism from politicians, certain members of the media, and teammates.
His stance was summed up in a tweet directed to Jonathan Agnew, a BBC cricket host who had criticized his 2018 political posts.
Gary Lineker stated,
“I’ll continue to tweet what I want, and if people disagree with me, so be it.”
This week, Lineker sparked controversy with a tweet describing the government’s new Illegal Migration Bill as “an enormously terrible policy aimed at the most vulnerable people using terminology not dissimilar to that employed by Nazi Germany in the 1930s.”
In response to criticism of his remarks, he stated that he would “continue to advocate for people without a voice.”
According to the BBC, Lineker was “second to none” when it came to heading their football and sports coverage.
Nonetheless, it stated, “We consider his recent social media behavior to be in violation of our policies” and “he should refrain from taking sides on party political problems and political conflicts.”
Lineker has previously maintained that, as a freelancer, he is permitted to express his viewpoint. In addition, he works on the BBC’s sport production, which is obviously less delicate than the news operation.
Yet, detractors refer to the £1.35 million he was paid by the BBC in 2021/22, making him the highest-paid presenter whose pay must be declared (although this does not include famous faces who are employed via private production firms).
They further say that his platform derives from his work for the BBC, thus he should adhere to its regulations.
In addition to anchoring Match of the Day, Lineker also fronts the BBC’s coverage of major football tournaments and co-hosts BBC Sports Personality of the Year until 2025.
He is also a presenter on LaLigaTV, which covers Spanish football for people in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
His co-founded media firm, Goalhanger Podcasts, presents The Rest Is Politics, a regular political discussion program with former Labour adviser Alastair Campbell and former Conservative minister Rory Stewart.
He has also presented the Champions League for BT Sport and is widely recognized as the face of Walker’s Crisps, a company created in his hometown of Leicester.
Before entering broadcasting in 1978, Lineker made his reputation with his hometown team, Leicester City FC.
After moving to Everton and Tottenham Hotspur, he topped the scoring lists for both sides in the First Division, the highest level of English football before the creation of the Premier League.
He made his England debut in 1984 and played 80 times for his country, with his final appearance occurring in 1992.
Only three Englishmen have scored more than his total of 48 international goals.
He retired in 1994, never having received a yellow card, and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame the same year.
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