Gary Lineker claims BBC departure was ‘a case of quit or be quitted’

Gary Lineker has claimed his departure from the BBC was a case of “quit or be quitted”.

The former Match Of The Day presenter was asked if his departure from the corporation was “of his own volition, or a case of quit or be quitted?” to which he replied “the latter”, during an interview with The New World, formerly known as The New European.

The 64-year-old left the BBC early following a post about Zionism which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult, which he apologised for, saying he stands “against all forms of racism”.

The presenter will no longer front BBC coverage of the 2026 World Cup or the FA Cup next season as had been intended, with his last episode of Match Of The Day coming on May 25th.

Speaking about his departure, Lineker said: “That’s what changed after that. I made a mistake and I immediately took it down and apologised, which I thought should have been enough.”

He went on to say that he believed he had complied with the BBC’s impartiality rules as he had looked at the war in Gaza “without a vested interest”.

Lineker added: “I’ve got no skin in the game. I’m not Muslim, I’m not Palestinian, I’m not Israeli, I’m not Jewish. I come from a place of complete impartiality. And then it becomes about truth.

“People talked about me being antisemitic. I’m not anti-any group of people. Any race, any colour. But I am anti the killing of children.”

The former England striker went on to say he did not blame director-general Tim Davie for his exit, adding: “Tim Davie I know and I get on well with. I know how difficult it is for him with what’s going on.

“Do I dislike people at the BBC? Not the people that I know.”

At the time of Lineker’s departure, Davie said in a statement that the pair