- Gary Lineker has been presenting the most important sports programme for a quarter of a century
- However, his £1.3million contract expires at the end of the current season.
- LISTEN NOW: It’s all about to begin!available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Gary Lineker has indicated he is prepared to stay on as Match of the Day presenter after his ‘natural successor’ Jermaine Jenas was sacked by the BBC last week.
Lineker, 63, has presented the BBC’s flagship sports programme for 25 years, but his lucrative £1.3million-a-year contract expires at the end of the season.
It is still unclear whether he will extend his contract and there is much speculation about possible replacements, with Jenas at the front of the queue.
But 41-year-old former Tottenham midfielder Jenas was sacked by the BBC amid allegations of inappropriate workplace conduct after a female colleague complained she had received unsolicited messages from the pundit.
Lineker had previously described Jenas as a ‘natural’ candidate to succeed him in the Match of the Day hotseat, but in a recent interview he indicated he was prepared to move on.
Gary Lineker has indicated he is willing to continue as Match of the Day host
Lineker, 63, has presented the BBC’s flagship sports programme for a quarter of a century
‘Match Of The Day is such an iconic show, 60 years is such a long time and I presented it for 25 years,’ he said The Independent.
‘In terms of podcasts, things have really exceeded our expectations, but at the same time I love being part of Match Of The Day. I love working for the BBC. I know it has its problems and its difficulties, but I think it’s brilliant.
‘I think sometimes at the BBC we don’t dare say out loud how good we are.’
Asked earlier this week how long he expected to stay at the helm of the show, Lineker told BBC Breakfast: “I don’t know. It depends how long they want me, I guess. I’m loving it at the moment – I’ve got at least a year left.”
Lineker has appeared on several BBC podcasts but angered the corporation’s bosses when he gave his personal views on the war in Gaza and the former Conservative government’s language towards asylum seekers.
In March 2023, he was suspended, leading colleagues to boycott the program.
Jenas worked as a commentator for Match of the Day and also appeared on coverage of the FA Cup and the World Cup, and made no secret of his desire to replace Lineker at some point.
His last appearance for the BBC was on 22 July on The One Show, and his last broadcast on Match of the Day was on 4 May. He was part of the BBC’s coverage of Euro 2024.
Jermaine Jenas, who was widely tipped as the favourite to succeed Lineker, has been sacked by the BBC
Jenas will be seen in his final episode of the One Show on July 22 this year, alongside Alex Jones
The former England international publicly apologised to the two women he texted, but maintained they were consenting adults.
Jenas now fears for the future of his marriage to Ellie Penfold, to whom he has been married for 13 years.
“I honestly haven’t slept properly since they told me,” he told The Sun.
“I mean, the anxiety that builds up in your body about these kinds of things. I didn’t have any sleeping pills. I just didn’t sleep.
‘You just lie there, your thoughts racing until you pass out. Part of me would rather go outside and run until I collapse.’
Jenas is pictured with his wife Ellie Penfold at the Pride Of Britain Awards on October 8, 2023
Jenas, who has three children with Ellie and another teenage daughter from a previous relationship, says his wife has not yet told him whether their marriage will last.
He added: ‘When I see Ellie most days, she just gets up. She goes to check if the kids are OK. I feel ashamed. I feel like I’ve let everyone down.’