Gary Lineker, the former England soccer player and now a media celebrity, will step down from his role as a presenter for the BBC after facing criticism for reposting an Instagram story about Zionism which featured a picture of a rat.

Gary Lineker is reportedly set to leave the BBC early and not present the World Cup after his Zionism Instagram post was at the centre of an antisemitism backlash. The Match Of The Day star, 64, ‘unreservedly apologised’ last week after sharing a post containing antisemitic imagery.

Lineker, a former footballer who is the BBC’s highest-paid presenter and was slated to lead its World Cup coverage in 2026, shared a video last week about Zionism featuring an illustration of a rat, historically a common antisemitic trope, sparking a storm of criticism.