Reason Gary Lineker's final interview with Mohamed Salah was 'scrapped' revealed

Metro

2 days ago

Gary Lineker's interview with Mohamed Salah was due to air after his BBC exit (Picture: PA)
The alleged reason for Gary Lineker's final blow from the BBC ahead of his exit has been revealed.
Lineker, 64, bowed out of presenting Match of the Day last month after 26 years at the helm.
It was initially claimed that the sports pundit was due to interview Liverpool star Mohamed Salah before his exit, but the BBC has scotched reports that the reason they put a stop to the interview was because they feared discussions would turn political.
The broadcaster has now made it clear that 'the only reason' the interview was cancelled was because of when it was due to air.
A source allegedly told The Sun: 'The plan was for the interview to be shown across the BBC the weekend of Gary's final Match of the Day.
'That would include on Football Focus the day before, as well as online and on social media.'
Last month, Lineker signed off from hosting Match of the Day after 26 years (Picture: Nick Potts/PA Wire)
But 'out of nowhere, it got cancelled' by Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski, who took over the role from Barbara Slater last April.
'Some people think they didn't want Gary and Mo to talk about Gaza,' said the source.
'Salah has spoken out in his support for Palestinians living in Gaza, and Gary has made his feelings clear too.'
Bosses reportedly feared the ongoing war would 'come up naturally in conversation'.
Consequently, the BBC preferred to 'axe' the interview rather than 'risk possible editorial issues'.
'They'd only just overcome one storm, so to face another would have been a nightmare.'
It's reported there is 'no love lost' between the pundit and the BBC's Director of Sport (Picture: Ash Knotek/Shutterstock for AWEu)
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But when contacted for comment, a BBC spokesperson told Metro that the interview was actually scrapped for a different reason.
'The only reason the interview was cancelled was because it was planned to air after Gary's last match of the day, and it would be wrong to suggest anything else,' they said.
It comes after a source also previously told The Sun that Lineker was 'well-liked' among his co-stars ahead of his departure.
Lineker's final MOTD aired last Sunday, which he fronted alongside pundits Micah Richards and Alan Shearer, with whom he also presents the Rest Is Football podcast.
He announced his departure from the BBC following a row after he shared a post about Zionism, which featured a depiction of a rat, historically an antisemitic insult.
Lineker, the BBC's highest-paid presenter on a £1.4million salary, issued an unreserved apology over the Instagram Story, as it was confirmed he would leave his presenting role at the Beeb early and would no longer front coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season's FA Cup.
Lineker fought back tears in his final MOTD sign-off (Picture: PA/BBC)
'On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references,' he said in a statement at the time. 'I very much regret these references.
'I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.'
Lineker deleted the post 'as soon as [he] became aware of the issue.'
In his final sign-off from the highlights show, he struggled to speak through tears.
Lineker described his time on the programme as 'utterly joyous' as he thanked his co-stars and those working behind the scenes.
'Let me take this opportunity to thank all of the other pundits I've had the pleasure of working with over the last 25 years. You've made my job so much easier,' he began.
The footie icon said it was a 'privilege' to front the highlights show for so long (Picture: Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)
Lineker continued: 'Also, a huge thank you to those you don't see at home. The work that goes into making this iconic show is a huge team effort, from the editors to the analysis team to the commentators to the producers to the floor managers to the camera operators to the PAs to the subs. Thank you, all. You're the very best.
'Rather like my football career, everyone else did all the hard work, and I got applauded.
'It's been an absolute privilege to have hosted Match of the Day for a quarter of a century; it's been utterly joyous.'
Reflecting on his final show afterwards on his podcast, Lineker admitted he 'struggled' to 'keep it together' when a montage of his career highlights was shown.
Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates, and Mark Chapman will replace the Leicester-born star and share the presenting role from the next Premier League season, with Lineker wishing them 'all the very best when they sit in this chair'.
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