Gary Lineker, the England soccer great-turned-media celebrity, will leave his role as a presenter for the BBC after facing criticism for reposting an Instagram story about Zionism that featured a picture of a rat.

Gary Lineker is reportedly set to leave the BBC early and not present the World Cup after his Zionism Instagram post was at the centre of an antisemitism backlash. The Match Of The Day star, 64, ‘unreservedly apologised’ last week after sharing a post containing antisemitic imagery.

The Metropolitan Police said the force is currently assessing whether an investigation is needed following complaints about presenter Gary Lineker’s social media post. The pundit issued an unreserved apology on Monday (May 19) after he deleted a post he had previously shared about Zionism that featured a picture of a rat.