BY JACK WATSON
I have to admit, as a massive football fan, I quite like listening to The Rest is Football podcast with Gary Lineker. My generation doesn’t tend to, but I also enjoy watching Match of The Day (MOTD) with Gary Lineker every Sunday morning. Footballwise, I think Lineker is an intelligent (football) commentator and pundit. It’s just a shame that his political views, which I can’t escape really, even as a fifteen-year-old, are getting in the way of taking him seriously.
It is beyond time he stuck to the football and crisp promos as he is not doing himself any favours.
Lineker’s latest political intervention before Christmas was another direct challenge to his paymasters at the BBC by signing a letter which demanded the Rwanda immigration plan be axed. This sparked outrage among Tory MP’s and Lineker was once again in a pickle. And not for the first time …
In March, No 10 hit out at Gary Lineker over a tweet where he appeared to compare the Tory government’s attempted crackdown on small boats to Nazi Germany. I am sure if anybody else made a comment like this, they would be investigated immediately. For example, Andrew Bridgen, a former Conservative MP, was accused of antisemitism for clumsily comparing the Covid vaccines to the Holocaust despite the fact that he was quoting a Jewish physician at the time. As a result, Bridgen was permanently expelled from the Conservative Party on 12th April.
In November Lineker sparked an impartiality row after sharing a video which accused Israel of committing ‘textbook genocide’ in Gaza. The video criticises Israel’s military response to the 7 October attack, in which 1,400 Israelis were brutally murdered by Hamas. Also, he called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, showing support for the pro-Palestinian protesters who held a demonstration in London on Armistice Day.
Just to pour salt and vinegar into the wound, Lineker supported the Just Stop Oil protestors after they disrupted the tennis at Wimbledon and The Snooker World Championship. He claimed that they were ‘not doing any harm’. This came from a man who is always keen to boast about his super-smart Jaguar F-Pace. He’s also been seen riding a Mercedes SL550, BMW 650i convertible and a Range Rover Sport, all of which use gallons of fuel. He also enjoys going to Ibiza to see his brother there, so how does he get there? A magic carpet?
It is plainly obvious to my generation and others that Lineker is not just a virtue signaller; he’s a hypocrite to boot.
The tide is turning against Lineker. His age does not help. He follows in the footsteps of Jimmy Hill who, despite his prowess as a pundit, eventually lost a connection by age with the younger generation of viewers however much he tried to woo them and remain relevant.
Talk to my friends about the last century, when Lineker played, and it seems a long, long time ago. Perhaps it does not help Lineker’s overall chances of TV survival that he has now begun to transform lookswise into the spitting image of Rolf Harris.
Lineker was even recently slammed by a former BBC executive, Roger Bolton, after the BBC still continued to air his political views. This is what he told GB News:
‘There’s a question of whether you think he crossed the guidelines and whether they can be proven clearly in a legal context. But I think he has, and the incoming chairman thinks he has.’
Lineker has already been suspended once for using the BBC as a platform for his ridiculous agendas and the MOTD viewing figures ‘soared’.
Is it not obvious to the BBC what action they should take?
The likes of Jermaine Jenas and other younger presenters must be asking themselves what they have to do to oust Lineker from Match of the Day.
When you become the butt of comedians’ jokes, maybe it is time to move on – with your golden boot and memories intact…
Jack Watson is a 15-year-old schoolboy, who has a Substack about being a Hull City fan. You can subscribe to it here.
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