Gary Lineker's parting shot at BBC boss as ex-England star set for final MOTD show

Gary Lineker's final appearance on Match of the Day is set for tonight as the seasoned broadcaster bids farewell to the BBC. Ahead of the show, it has been reported that the legendary ex-England footballer took a parting shot at his BBC boss just days before his departure was officially announced.

Lineker, 64, confirmed earlier this week that he would be leaving the channel ahead of schedule, despite being slated to continue working for the BBC throughout the 2025-26 season, leading their FA Cup coverage and presenting at next summer's World Cup.

The Match of the Day stalwart's position became seemingly untenable following backlash for sharing and subsequently deleting a pro-Palestine video which included an 'antisemitic' rat emoji.

The England icon apologised but the ensuing controversy led to his premature departure after 26 years of hosting Match of the Day. In the days leading up to the announcement of his exit, Lineker reportedly made his feelings towards BBC director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski abundantly clear to his colleagues.

It's reported by that Lineker snubbed Kay-Jelski while covering the FA Cup final - which occurred days prior to his departure announcement - before making comments about the BBC chief. A source quoted by The Sun stated: "By the end of Gary's tenure at BBC Sport he didn't have much time for Alex.

"When he was working on the FA Cup final, just two days before he quit, Alex came over to where Gary was and he just walked off without a word.

"He made a couple of remarks about Alex in earshot of people working around them. It's clear there's no love lost. Gary is really well liked and there are plenty of people who joked that they agreed with what he said."

Kay-Jelski, who was appointed director of sport in April 2024, had the task of informing staff via email about Lineker's departure from the BBC. "You will have seen in the past few minutes that Gary Lineker will be leaving the BBC at the end of the current football season. I appreciate the last week has been difficult and emotional for many of you," wrote Kay-Jelski.

"Thank you for all the messages and conversations, even if some of them weren't easy to have. And I hope you understand that I had to wait until now to tell you the news. It is sad to be saying goodbye to such a brilliant broadcaster and I also want to thank Gary for his years of service.

"As ever, if you have questions, you know where I am. Let's finish the season strongly with Gary's final show, enjoy an incredible summer of sport and look forward with excitement to what lies ahead."

After Lineker takes his bow as Match of the Day's presenter, the beloved Saturday night programme will see a refreshed format with not one but three new hosts taking the reins. Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates, and Gabby Logan have been earmarked to steer the show forward following Lineker's exit.