Gary Lineker may have compromised his role as a pundit for the BBC’s Euros coverage after he shared a now-deleted retweet calling for Israel to be banned from international football, insiders said.
The Match of the Day presenter reposted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, from a pro-Palestinian campaign calling for Israel to be ousted from all global tournaments and games “until it ends its grave violations of international law”.
The post, which was condemned by MPs and Jewish leaders, has since been removed from Lineker’s feed.
But BBC insiders suggested that publicly opposing the participation of Israel would cast doubt over his ability to present the Euros with impartiality, with one describing it as “typical Gary”, while another said: “This is a worse case than usual.”
A BBC source said: “We understand Gary retweeted this post because he thought it was about football news and wasn’t taking a position. He has since deleted the tweet.”
Lineker, the BBC’s highest-paid presenter who has previously resisted calls to delete politically controversial tweets, may have been found in breach of the corporation’s editorial guidelines.
The rules prohibit presenters taking positions on controversial issues “where expressions overlap with the individual’s own work”.
“Taking a public position on an issue of public policy, political or industrial controversy, or any other ‘controversial subject’ is likely to be incompatible with some BBC roles,” the rules state.
Lineker, who has ‘liked’ X posts accusing Israel of “mass murder” in Gaza, is set to front the BBC’s coverage of Euro 2024.
Although it is highly unlikely Lineker’s role in the coverage would be downgraded, one senior news figure said: “This is a worse case than usual precisely because it’s in an area that Gary is covering.
“You cannot have a presenter paid for by all licence fee payers who regards the participation of one country as illegitimate as a personal view.”
Another BBC insider said of the deletion: “Does he really not look more carefully before sharing inflammatory material? It’s typical Gary. He’s let everyone know where he stands on Israel, then by deleting it he can just carry on as before. When will the bosses bring this to an end?”
The tweet Lineker reposted was sent from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel, which is part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
It included a statement from the Palestinian Football Association that called upon Fifa and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to sanction Israel.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said of the repost: “At a time of record levels of racism against Jews, not a peep. But he has found the time to amplify a call to suspend the world’s only Jewish state from international sports. His (Lineker’s) priorities are clear.”
All three of Israel’s group games would be broadcast live by the BBC, if the country does qualify for the Euros for the first time. Lineker’s ability to present and comment on Israel’s games with impartiality could be questioned.
Andrew Percy, a former minister and Tory MP who is Jewish, asked how Lineker could “commentate independently on the Israeli football team”.
He told i: “Lineker should stick to football and not international politics which he clearly has no understanding of. The BBC should take action to protect the independence of their reporting, be that news or sports output.”
Lineker will also be required to choose between sending political messages and presenting Match of the Day when the general election is held. BBC guidelines forbid flagship presenters, including Lineker, from making statements on politically controversial issues during the campaign.
Incoming BBC chairman Samir Shah has said the corporation will need to introduce new social media guidelines to end the persistent rows over Lineker’s off-screen activities.
The BBC declined to comment. Lineker did not respond to an approach for comment.
