The BBC has named Gary Lineker’s replacement for the World Cup final, with Mark Chapman and Alex Scott both being missed. Mr Lineker will not be in the BBC studios for this summer’s tournaments in the US, Canada and Mexico. He quit the broadcaster last summer after posting a controversial post on Instagram, which he later apologized for.
Lineker will instead cover the World Cup on his podcast, The Rest Is Football, which has a lucrative streaming deal with Netflix during the tournament. He will be replaced by Gabby Logan as the BBC’s lead presenter, who will present live coverage of the World Cup final ahead of Match of the Day regular Chapman and outgoing Football Focus presenter Scott.
According to the Daily Mail, Logan will also host the BBC’s opening World Cup match and England’s group stage match against Ghana.
By broadcasting the final live, the 53-year-old will make history as the first female BBC anchor to host the biggest match in world football.
Chapman is expected to drop out of the race to cover the British Open for Sky Sports, which is scheduled to end on the same day as the final.
The report adds that everyone is believed to be relaxed about the situation, with confidence that those who missed it will be able to watch equivalent content on future broadcasts.
Lineker was originally set to star at the World Cup and has signed a one-year contract extension with the BBC beyond the current football season.
However, the former England striker abruptly withdrew last summer after a social media post sparked an uproar of anti-Semitism.
He shared a video about Zionism that featured an image of a rat, which has historically been used as an insult to refer to the term Nazi Germany used against Jews.
In a statement, Lineker apologized for the post and insisted he would never intentionally post offensive content aimed at any particular group.
“I reposted something on Instagram that I learned contained offensive references. I deeply regret those references. I would never knowingly share anything anti-Semitic. It goes against everything I believe in.”
