The BBC is planning a major shake-up at Match of the Day after Gary Lineker leaves at the end of the season, insiders claimed last night.
Lineker, who took over presenting duties on the flagship BBC show from Des Lynam in 1999, is finally ready to bring the curtain down after 26 years, paving the way for a brand new presenter.
The 63-year-old broadcaster will also leave the BBC completely after the 2026 World Cup in America, Mexico and Canada.
Lineker is the BBC’s highest-paid presenter with a salary of around £1.35 million, but executives want to take the show in a new direction.
In fact, six of the seven top favorites to replace Lineker are female presenters, with former Lioness Alex Scott among the frontrunners.
The favorites to replace Gary Lineker – who will leave Match of the Day at the end of the season – have been announced
Former Lioness defender Alex Scott is among those tipped for a takeover
Former Olympian and BBC star Gabby Logan is also a firm favorite to take over from Lineker
Match of the Day 2 presenter Mark Chapman is the favorite at 6/4, with Ladbrokes following suit
Scott, who played 140 times for England and represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics, is usually the favorite when Lineker is away.
She has experience presenting the Saturday evening show and is regularly present at live matches, including the European Championship, FA Cup and WSL.
But the 40-year-old presenter’s future has been thrown into doubt in recent weeks, with sources claiming she was ‘deeply hurt’ by a ‘lack of support’ surrounding Football Focus’ low ratings.
The Sun reported last month that Scott may be ‘considering other offers’, including a move to America with her pop star girlfriend Jess Glynne, as her BBC contract comes up for renewal next year.
Former Olympian and BBC star Gabby Logan is also expected to be in the running to take over from Lineker.
In fact, the 51-year-old (4/1) is second favorite behind MOTD2 presenter Mark Chapman (6/4) with Ladbrokes.
The Sun reports that the Beeb is toying with the idea of introducing a series of presenters with Chapman, 51, one of the anchors likely to be rotated.
Jermaine Jenas was long considered the man to take over from Lineker, but he is now out of the running after being sacked over his sexting scandal.
The former Tottenham star admitted sending ‘inappropriate messages’ to female colleagues, later insisting ‘nothing physical’ had happened but that he had ‘cheated’ on his wife Ellie, with whom he has three children.
Sky Sports presenter Kelly Cates, whose father is Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, is also tipped as Lineker’s successor. Cates joined Sky Sports as a permanent presenter in 1998, but left suddenly in 2006.
She returned to the broadcaster in August 2016, where she now covers the Premier League’s biggest matches in the studio, alongside the likes of Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher.
Cates has risen to third favorite at 5/1, ahead of Football Focus presenter Scott and Eilidh Barbour at 6/1.
Kelly Somers (1/8), Laura Woods (1/10), Dan Walker (1/12), Micah Richards (1/12) and Manish Bhasin (1/12) all have extensive experience and succession behind them.
While Somers, Woods, Walker and Bhasin have backgrounds, Richards has chosen the path of the pundit after his career in football, which saw him play for Manchester City and England.
He regularly appears on Match of the Day and Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage, and is part of the trio on Lineker’s The Rest is Football podcast alongside Alan Shearer.
However, Shearer is forced to settle for odds of 25/1 to take over the hot seat.
One name jumps out, on the same level as Richards and others at 12/1, that few would have ever seen coming: history buff Dan Jones.
Jones, a Cambridge graduate known for his books and TV series mainly about English history, such as ‘Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty’, wrote columns on sports for the London Evening Standard.
However, that gig ended in 2019 and it’s safe to say he seems like a far-fetched candidate given his focus in other areas.
Kelly Cates, who provides Premier League coverage for Sky Sports, is this third favourite
Historian Dan Jones has unexpectedly been named as one of the contenders to replace Lineker
He is tied with ex-Man City star Micah Richards, an expert on MOTD, at 12/1
TNT Sports star Laura Woods, popular for her Champions League coverage, is also at 12/1
Lineker’s departure closes a long – and controversial – chapter for one of the country’s most iconic shows. The BBC’s sporting director Alex Kay-Jelski has ‘not a particularly good relationship’ with Lineker and is keen to cut spending and give the show a facelift, a source told The Sun. The decision to say goodbye to him comes after six weeks of talks.
Lineker’s time as the face of Match of the Day has been divisive at times, with the presenter temporarily suspended last year for criticizing the government’s asylum policy in a controversially worded tweet.
“Broadcaster Gary Lineker will step down as presenter of the flagship football program Match of the Day at the end of this season, BBC News understands,” the BBC wrote on Monday evening.
He returned shortly after a walkout by his MOTD colleagues who showed solidarity with the former England striker, and the row even prompted the Beeb to review a new set of guidelines for its presenters and their use of social media and set up. It has been difficult for the BBC to keep him in check as he co-hosts his popular podcast, The Rest Is Football, with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer.
Former England star Lineker first started presenting the iconic highlights show in 1999
Perhaps his most iconic moment on the show came when he presented it in his underpants in August 2016 after Leicester City won the Premier League title.
Lineker’s future has been the subject of speculation for some time, especially after Mail Sport revisited an email in October that purported to announce his impending departure.
During Euro 2024, he branded England’s performance against Denmark ‘s***’, prompting retaliation from Harry Kane, who responded to attacks from pundits who knew what it was like to ‘wear the shirt’.
That shocking tone landed him in hot water and is in stark contrast to the more controlled, cerebral style that Match of the Day upholds.
His contract with the BBC expires at the end of this season, but he has been given an eighteen-month extension. However, this does not include the Match of the Day anchoring duties.
In October, Mail Sport revealed an email purportedly from the BBC’s sporting director Kay-Jelski containing a statement announcing his impending departure from the show.
That email, which suggested a show earlier this season would be its last – which has not been the case – also included comments from director general Tim Davie, who praised an “incredible” period and described Lineker as a “presenter world class’.
A source told The Sun: ‘Gary absolutely loves Match of the Day and is incredibly happy at the BBC. But he has been at the helm since 1999 and by the time he leaves he will have been at the Beeb for 30 years.
‘It is one of the industry’s worst-kept secrets that new BBC sports director Alex Kay-Jelski and Gary are not exactly close. The former is keen to make its mark by bringing in new faces and reducing wage costs.
‘Negotiations have been held over the past six weeks and ultimately a deal has been reached that everyone is happy with.
“Gary will be 65 when he leaves; honestly, he’s not getting any younger. and simply feels the time is right to focus solely on his major interests outside the BBC – namely his Goalhanger podcasting business, which is becoming huge in the United States. Meanwhile, BBC executives will restart Match of the Day to keep things fresh after such a big departure.”