Gary Lineker apologises after leaving BBC staff 'disgusted' and 'deeply upset' with post

Gary Lineker has apologised after leaving staff at the furious over his "repeated offensiveness to Jewish people" after he shared a pro-Palestine video.

Lineker, 64, left colleagues at the corporation upset from the campaign group, Palestine Lobby, on Monday.

Apologising for the post, Lineker said: "On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references.

"I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in." The Match of the Day presenter said he deleted the post "as soon as I became aware of the issue".

The former England striker has since deleted the post but has been the subject of a backlash from staff and others on social media. As outlined by , the BBC's response - or lack of - to Lineker's actions has left some members of staff far from happy.

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One anonymous staff member condemned Lineker and claimed his actions have 'brought the organisation into disrepute'.

“It is quite simply disgusting that the BBC has not kicked Lineker out,” they said. “His repeated offensiveness to Jewish people has clearly brought the BBC into disrepute. The interpretation of Zionism he has shared is anti-Semitic and the fact that the BBC thinks it’s acceptable is deeply upsetting to its Jewish staff, myself included.”

Another source argued that the BBC had missed the "perfect opportunity" to get rid of Lineker when he was suspended for comments about the previous Government. They 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.”

A spokesperson for Lineker told the publication: “Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post,” he added. “Although if he had, he would not have made any connection. The repost has been removed.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism group called for the BBC to sack Lineker following his decision to share the post. “Nothing to see here,” they wrote on X. “Just Gary Lineker's account sharing an anti-Israel video misrepresenting Zionism, complete with a rat emoji.

“Not only does this video deliberately misrepresent Zionism - the belief that Jews have the same right to self-determination as everyone else - but it adds a rat emoji in doing so. Why is it that keeps sharing content on social media that seems to cater to Jew-haters?”

As pressure grows on Lineker's position, the BBC's director general, Tim Davie, admitted that Lineker's actions have 'cost' the corporation and urged employees to follow the corporation's social media rules.

“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.

Lineker is poised to stand down from his long running role as host of Match of the Day at the end of the 2024/25 campaign. He is, however, contracted to remain with the BBC until next year to front their coverage of both the and the World Cup.

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