Gary Lineker’s exit will be ‘big loss’ for BBC, says former boss

A former boss of the BBC has described Gary Lineker’s reported departure from Match Of The Day as a “big loss” for the corporation.

Greg Dyke was director-general from 2000 to 2004, during Lineker’s early career hosting the football highlights programme after the former striker took over from Des Lynam in 1999.

When asked about the corporation being set to announce Lineker is leaving, former FA chairman Dyke told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s a big loss but life moves on, Match Of The Day will continue, they’ll have a new presenter just as when Des Lynam left, and Gary Lineker took over from him 20 years ago.”

He added that Lineker has “become a brilliant presenter and a big personality and has been a very good performer for the BBC”, but also said that “presenters don’t stay forever, and in the end people watch Match Of The Day for the football”.

“I remember, I was at ITV when he first became a television personality and I have to say he wasn’t a great presenter in those days, but he grew into the job and at the BBC, and has been brilliant I think for the BBC,” he added.

“He is without a doubt an outstanding sports presenter of his time but as I say presenters move on, in the end people watch the programme.

“I think he and others that are around him have become a fun team to watch. They never took football… they took it seriously but without ever thinking that it’s life and death, but I think he’s been a very good presenter of Match Of The Day and I suspect whoever replaces him will be the same.”

Dyke also dismissed speculation that Lineker was not offered another contract by the BBC, and claimed he heard that the former footballer is leaving by “mutual consent”.

He added: “We all know how much he earnt, he’s very expensive, the BBC is in difficulties financially and you could say it will be a saving on the sports budget that could be used elsewhere, so that will be the decisions that will be taken. I don’t know if he was offered a new contract or not.”

Dyke said he was unsure about whether the decision was due to social media use, before adding: “I understand it neither side will say that it was.”

He said he “disagreed” with the decision to take Lineker off air temporarily in March last year over controversy surrounding comments on Twitter. Lineker tweeted that the then government’s asylum policy used language which was “not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s”.

Dyke said: “I thought that he was a sports presenter and therefore what he was saying about politics was irrelevant to his performance as a presenter, but it’s there in the background so it must have been a thought in the mind of whoever took the decision.”

Flagship presenters, including Lineker, were banned from making attacks on political parties following a review into the BBC’s social media guidelines after the impartiality row.

He returned to Match Of The Day, and the current director-general Tim Davie said the presenter had agreed to “abide by the editorial guidelines”.

Lineker, who welcomed the BBC social media review, continued to top the BBC pay list, when it was revealed in July.

He earned £1,350,000 and £1,354,999 for 2023/24, as published in the corporation’s annual report.

Dyke resigned from the corporation following heavy criticism of the BBC’s news reporting process in the Hutton Inquiry, which looked into the death of the government scientist and former weapons inspector in Iraq, David Kelly.

He held the post of FA chairman from 2013 to 2016.