BBC ‘plan major MOTD shake-up’ as Lineker statement released – live

When Des Lynam hung up his moustache and walked away from the Match of the Day presenting gig in 1999, BBC bosses were faced with a conundrum. Lynam was popular with viewers and a sporting polymath but had jumped ship for ITV after they doubled his pay. Who could fill his boots on such a shoestring budget?

The answer was Gary Lineker. Described by the BBC, at the time, as having a “relaxed style”, Lineker was already familiar to viewers thanks not only to a stellar on-pitch career, but various presenting jobs across the corporation. He had appeared on Radio 5 Live and Grandstand, as well as a stint as a captain on They Think It’s All Over, a comedy panel show. And as the lights came up on the 1999/2000 Premier League season, he found himself in one of biggest jobs in football media, presiding over the flagship highlights package of a season that featured 23 goals from his future sofa-mate, Alan Shearer.

As Ange Postecoglou came in after another deflating Tottenham Hotspur defeat, both he and fans were evidently furious, but there were some calming voices. It’s just “that kind of season”, as some around the club maintained. This isn’t a figure of speech. It’s a fact. Spurs’s inconsistency has spread to the majority of the Premier League, in a way that has never been seen before.

The gap between third and 13th is only four points. Between third and 11th, it’s a mere three. The table has never been so congested at this stage, across more than half the table and almost a third of the way through the season.

Historically, the closest we’ve seen to this kind of table at this stage are the four points that separated third-placed Chelsea and 11th-placed Fulham in 2002-03, and the five between Spurs and Middlesbrough in 2005-06. From third to 13th, the closest has been the six between Arsenal and Newcastle United in 1998-99.

With his contract due to expire at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, the 63-year-old entered into negotiations over an extension, but BBC bosses have elected to move on.

Here we take a look at five candidates to replace Lineker:

‘Chappers’ is the regular presenter of Match of the Day 2, which shows highlights of Premier League action on Sunday evenings.

He is also a key part of the BBC’s coverage of football on radio, presenting Sports Report on 5 Live and the Monday Night Club on the same channel.

Now that it has been confirmed that Gary Lineker will be stepping down thoughts go to the future of Match of the Day and what it will look like.

The obvious answer is a straight replacement comes in for Lineker with plenty of names like Alex Scott, Mark Chapman and Micah Richards being thrown around.

However, The Sun have reported that one option for the BBC is to ‘shake up’ the programme with a series of hosts who rotate on a semi-regular basis.

The BBC have announced that Gary Lineker is leaving and staying at the same time. He will depart as Match of the Day host at the end of the current season but remain on to present FA Cup coverage and the BBC’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup.

A statement released this morning reads: “The BBC and Gary Lineker have agreed in principle a contract extension through to the 2026 World Cup. Gary will lead the coverage of the tournament, as England once again try to land a first major trophy since 1966, the other Home Nations look to qualify and Lionel Messi aims to retain the trophy he won with Argentina.

“Gary will also host BBC Sport’s coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025/26 season, 35 years on from lifting the trophy as a player.

“After a quarter of a century, Gary is stepping down from hosting Match of The Day at the end of this season. He will continue with the MOTD Top Ten podcast and the BBC will also host the hugely popular The Rest is Football podcast on BBC Sounds.”

Here we take a look at five candidates to replace Lineker:

Scott enjoyed a successful playing career with Arsenal and England before moving into broadcasting after her retirement in 2017.

She has presented The One Show and has also worked alongside Lineker in the past as a presenter of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year programme.

She was also a contestant on one of the corporation’s flagship entertainment shows, Strictly Come Dancing, in 2019, while more recently has presented Football Focus.

Gary Lineker is leaving Match of the Day at the end of the current season but he will not be leaving the BBC just yet as he has agreed a contract extension with the broadcaster through to the 2026 World Cup.

Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said: “Gary is a world-class presenter, and we’re delighted that he’ll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup.

“After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD. We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week.

“He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football.”

The BBC have confirmed that Gary Lineker will be leaving Match of the Day after 25 years as hosts.

The official MOTD X, formerly Twitter, account posted: “The end of an era, after more than 25 years hosting Match of the Day.

“Gary will continue to host the FA Cup and lead the BBC’s 2026 World Cup coverage.”

Here we take a look at five candidates to replace Lineker:

Former gymnast Logan has presented MOTD in Lineker’s absence on many occasions in the past, while she also fronted the BBC’s coverage as the Lionesses stormed to glory in the Women’s Euros in 2023.

She has also been involved in the BBC’s coverage of Six Nations rugby, and the last four summer Olympic Games.