BBC presenter Gary Lineker has been accused of lacking “humility” after addressing his controversial tweets in a new interview.
Lineker, 64, has revealed he believes the BBC wanted him to leave Match Of The Day, as he prepares to depart the corporation after the 2026 World Cup.
During a new interview, Lineker also addressed the controversy from March 2023 when he compared the Government’s asylum policy with 1930s Germany.
“I don’t regret saying them publicly, because I was right – what I said, it was accurate – so not at all in that sense,” he stated when asked if he has any regrets.
Gary Lineker has been criticised by Renee Hoenderkamp for his ‘lack of humility’ after addressing his controversial tweets
Getty / GB News
However, he acknowledged the fallout from his comments: “Would I, in hindsight, do it again? No, I wouldn’t, because of all the nonsense that came with it.”
“I love the BBC, and I didn’t like the damage that it did to the BBC… But do I regret it and do I think it was the wrong thing to do? No.”
Discussing the remarks on GB News, commentator Dr Renee Hoenderkamp claimed that the star has “no admittance that he could ever be wrong”.
She stated: “I just was left at the end of it thinking, there’s no humility there. There’s no admittance that he could ever be in the wrong. He feels he is right and everyone else is wrong.
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Gary Lineker has claimed he ‘didn’t like the damage’ that his controversial tweets did to the BBC
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“He even said it when they challenged him on the Suella Braverman situation that really caused his downfall. He said he did regret the damage that it did to the BBC, but he doesn’t regret his comments because he was right.”
Delivering his verdict on Lineker’s remarks, GB News senior political commentator Nigel Nelson said his comments are “shocking”, and he should “stick to his expertise” as a football commentator.
Nelson explained: “What he actually said was that the language used in a video about migrants was not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 1930s, it is shocking. It’s untrue for him to actually turn around and say, oh, well, that’s true – it’s not true.
“Secondly, he’s a football commentator. He also had a go at the BBC pulling the Gaza film – that’s not not his area either. He’s also spoken out on gambling in football, that is his area. That strikes me as within his expertise, the other stuff, no. You should stick to football commentating.”
The GB News panel reacted to Gary Lineker’s latest interview ahead of his departure from Match of the Day
GB News
Offering a defence for Lineker, host Miriam Cates argued that although he has “strong views”, he is entitled to “free speech”.
Miriam told GB News: “His argument would be it’s my free speech. I’ve got strong views, just because I’m a football commentator doesn’t mean I don’t have any views about anything.
“But you have to accept some sort of restriction on your speech if you work for a particular company.”
The BBC has said in a statement: “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 Match of the Day Top Ten podcast, and the BBC will also host the hugely popular The Rest Is Football podcast on BBC Sounds.”
