Former football England representative Gary Lineker will no longer be a sports analyst on British national television, he announced with the BBC.
Lineker resigned because he shared a post on social media last week about the war in Gaza, which read: "Zionism explained in less than two minutes."
However, the post included an illustration of a rat, a symbol historically used as anti-Semitic an insult. Although the former footballer apologized and deleted the post, it caused an avalanche of criticism in the British public.
"Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember — both on the field and in the studio. I care deeply about the game and the work I've done with the BBC over all these years. As I said, I would never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic — it goes against everything I stand for. However, I recognize the mistake and the upset I've caused, and once again I express my sincere regret. Stepping back at this time seems like a responsible move," Lineker said after the news that he was leaving the public service.
On the occasion of Lineker's resignation, Tim Davey, director general of the British public service, also announced.
"It has been agreed that Garry will retire from presenting after this season. Garry has been a key voice in covering football on the BBC for more than two decades. His passion and knowledge have shaped our sports journalism. That is why he is respected across the UK and beyond. We want to thank him for everything he has done for us."
"He caused headaches for management"
Following the news of Lineker's resignation, the BBC's culture editor Katie Razall said the former Leicester, Barcelona and Tottenham player was among the highest-paid broadcasters for a reason — "the audience loves him, he knows the game and he's brilliant at his job".
"But it's an understatement to say that over the years, he caused headaches for the BBC management, as he increasingly turned from a prominent football presenter into a public figure with strong views that he shared through social networks," Razal pointed out.
For the BBC, this has always been a matter of reputation management, and Lineker has already, in the management's eyes, damaged the corporation with earlier revelations.
"It was difficult to imagine how he could continue to work for the BBC, especially at a time when the corporation was already embroiled in another controversy, related to a documentary on Gaza that was withdrawn after it was revealed that the narrator was the son of a Hamas official," said the editor of the British public service.
Lineker has caused controversy before with his posts on social media.
He was suspended two years ago amid a dispute over impartiality, sparked by a social media post in which he criticized the government's asylum policy, saying the language used by the government was "not far from that used in Germany in the 1930s".
This led to a change in the BBC's rules on the conduct of presenters on the networks.
"What if you don't agree with him?"
Former head of news and former director of sport at the BBC, Roger Mouzey, said "the biggest problem is that the BBC has allowed Gary Lineker to have a social media profile".
"And if you're the highest-paid presenter at the BBC, I think it's problematic that you start voicing opinions on anything you can think of as an ex-footballer while wearing the BBC hat," Mouzey told BBC 5 Live.
"I think a lot of people will say: actually, I agree with Gary on Palestine. But if you disagree with him on Palestine, the European Union or other topics — why are you, as a mandatory subscriber, funding someone who uses social media to spread views that you don't agree with?" he added.
"If you work for the BBC you have to take into account a wide range of opinions and be empathetic to a very diverse audience. And that, in my view, was not the case in his posts on the networks," added Mouzey.
Football and broadcasting career
Gary Lineker was born on November 30, 1960 in Leicester, and he started his career in the local Leicester City as a striker. He progressed quickly, and through Everton and Barcelona he reached Tottenham, where he gained the status of a legend.
He played 80 times for the England national team and scored 48 goals. He was the top scorer at the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, scoring 6 goals, including a hat-trick against Poland.
After finishing his playing career, Lineker successfully moved into the world of media. He was the long-time presenter of the legendary show "Match of the Day" on the British Public Service.
After 26 years, he will officially leave the BBC on Sunday 25 May, following the final episode of Match of the Day.
Source: BBC