Professional soccer striker and TV sports presenter Gary Lineker is expected to leave the BBC on Monday amid a controversy surrounding an antisemitism row sparked by a social media post he shared that included an image of a rat. The former England national team captain will depart the broadcaster early by mutual agreement, with plans for him to host next year’s World Cup coverage now scrapped.
Lineker made his debut for the England national team in 1984, going on to play in 80 national games and scoring 48 goals over an eight-year international career. At the time of his retirement, he was England’s second-highest goal scorer. He now ranks fourth, behind Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, and Bobby Charlton, though his goals-to-games ratio remains among the best in England’s history.
And, as it happens, Gary Lineker doesn’t like Jews. On May 13, Lineker posted a rat emoji on Instagram that was widely condemned as “antisemitic,” sparking a wave of outrage and calls for the BBC to dismiss him. Here it is:
Nothing to see here.
Just Gary Lineker’s Instagram account sharing an anti-Israel video misrepresenting Zionism, complete with a rat emoji. pic.twitter.com/ysuVGH52SN
— Campaign Against Antisemitism (@antisemitism) May 12, 2025
The rat emoji accompanied a cartoon image of a rat and a video featuring Canadian-“Palestinian” lawyer Diana Buttu, in which she criticized Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza.
The now departed “Match of the Day” presenter supposedly overlooked the presence of the rat image in a video he shared from the campaign group “Palestine Lobby.” The footage, which was posted to Lineker’s Instagram story on Monday and has since been deleted, sparked outrage among Jewish groups, who pointed out that rats were historically used as an antisemitic slur by Nazi Germany. This was famously featured in Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel, “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale,” serialized from 1980 to 1991, depicting the author interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor, with the Jews in the novel appearing as mice.
A spokesperson for Lineker claimed the video was taken down as soon as the former striker became aware of its symbolic implications. “Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post,” he added, noting, “Although if he had, he would not have made any connection.”
He picked the wrong rats.
The Telegraph reported that the reaction of BBC staff to Lineker’s recent controversies has been growing progressively negative (pronouns were kept intact in these quotes – DI). One employee expressed their “disgust” that the broadcaster had not already dismissed him.
The source said: “His repeated offensiveness to Jewish people has clearly brought the BBC into disrepute. The interpretation of Zionism he has shared is antisemitic, and the fact that the BBC thinks it’s acceptable is deeply upsetting to its Jewish staff, myself included.”
Another staff member added: “He’s the perfect example of someone who doesn’t think the rules apply to them and abuses them at every turn – the type highlighted in the culture review, published no more than a fortnight ago.”
Director General Tim Davie offered a measured but telling response. “The BBC’s reputation is held by everyone, and when someone makes a mistake, it costs us.
“And I think we absolutely need people to be the exemplars of BBC values and follow our social media policies, simple as that,” Davie said.
