Gary Lineker, the former England soccer player and now a media celebrity, will step down from his role as a presenter for the BBC after facing criticism for reposting an Instagram story about Zionism

Is Gary Lineker leaving BBC and Match of the Day? What to know about Lineker apology after his social media video share with emoji post went to far.

Gary Lineker could face a police investigation over the anti-Semitic Instagram post that led to his departure from the BBC, according to the Telegraph. Scotland Yard officers have visited at least one complainant who reported suffering significant distress over the social media post from last week.

This isn’t Lineker’s first controversy. In 2023, the BBC said it had had a ‘frank conversation'” with the star after he criticized the government’s asylum policy, comparing the language to “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.”

Forty summers after Gary Lineker had become a national goalscoring hero with England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, the 2026 finals in the same country — as well as co-hosts the U.S. and Canada — were to be his farewell to the BBC.

This week's Rest is Football episode will be the last new edition on BBC Sounds

All the celebrities and famous faces backing Gary Lineker amid antisemitism row - Alan Shearer, Lord Sugar and rap group Kneecap are among those to have shown their support for Gary Lineker