Gary Lineker is playing a role in Netflix’s World Cup coverage, but the former England international isn’t afraid to make some not-so-subtle snarls against his former employers.
Gary Lineker regularly speaks out about leaving the BBC (Image: Getty Images)
Manager Gary Lineker revealed that he had consistently flouted the BBC’s rules about apologizing for profanity after he began broadcasting the World Cup on his podcast The Rest Is Football.
Language in the dressing room regularly spills over into live broadcasts, with broadcasters usually being forced to apologize for their adult language during post-match interviews and coverage. This was an approach also taken by the BBC, particularly during Mr Lineker’s time at the broadcaster.
But Mr Lineker has chosen to completely ignore a new Netflix show that regularly uses bad language. The former England forward told the Telegraph:
“I was always confused. I thought it was really weird. When someone says something bad on TV, they tell you in your ear to apologize. I never apologized. I always ignored it.”
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Mr Lineker ended his time at the BBC in May 2025 after 26 years as host of Match of the Day. His resignation came after controversial social media posts about Zionism, for which he later apologized.
Since leaving office, Lineker has not been afraid to criticize his former employers. Lineker’s colleague Micah Richards said on the first episode of Rest Is Football’s World Cup coverage: “Harry, please, I’m so sick of this guy on my left talking nonsense every day on his pod about the World Cup and the Golden Boot. Harry, please, even if we don’t win…”
Lineker added: “Actually, I don’t really care about it, because it just keeps me relevant. Just ignore it.” Then Alan Shearer said, “You’re no longer relevant, you’re gone from the BBC. You’re with us at Netflix.”
Gary Lineker left the BBC last year (Image: Getty Images)
Lineker then fired back, saying, “That’s a step in the right direction and they can get along.”
Meanwhile, Mr Lineker also slammed the BBC for not deciding to have an on-ground studio at the World Cup. He said: “I was originally scheduled to appear on the BBC this summer, but that didn’t happen and I ended up in a green box in Salford and now I’m going to be in New York City overlooking Times Square with a lot of great guests.”
The BBC’s sports director, Alex Kay Dzielski, responded: “It’s not a green box in Salford. It’s a beautiful, state-of-the-art studio. No one has seen it before. It’s perfectly fine to envision what will be in the future, and I’m really proud of it.”
“I don’t think the actual end product that people are getting in their homes is that different,” Kay Jelski added. “If these people were sitting in a different place, would your perspective change much?
“If I were to stand here and say, “Everything will be done in a studio in Dallas,” you would naturally say to me, “How can you justify that expense?”
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