Gary Lineker addresses Match of the Day BBC exit rumours as 'final show' remark made

Gary Lineker playfully dismissed rumours that Saturday night's Match of the Day would be his last.

The presenter, who earns £1.3million a year, is in the final year of his BBC contract, and at 63, speculation has been rife about his future with the broadcaster. Lineker, who has been at the helm of the show since 1999, was reported by the Daily Mail to be on the verge of leaving, with claims of an internal BBC email preparing to announce his departure.

This led to widespread conjecture that Saturday's programme might mark Lineker's goodbye. However, he tackled the rumours directly as the show began, quipping after the opening credits: "Seven games on the way, and it's my final show... before the international break."

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Earlier, Lineker had declined to address the specific claim when asked. The BBC has also sought to quash such reports, emphasising that Lineker is still under contract and no decisions have been made regarding its renewal.

A BBC spokesperson stated: "We have nothing to announce, and we have not agreed next steps with regard to his contract. He is on contract until the end of the season."

There's speculation that Lineker, who faced a brief suspension last year after making controversial comments about the Tories' immigration policy, might be seen as expendable by the BBC's new director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski. Reports from the Mail on Sunday suggest dissatisfaction with some of Lineker's opinions expressed on his popular podcast, 'The Rest is Football'.

A source close to Lineker shared with the Mail on Sunday: "Gary doesn't deserve this. If they are worried about how much they pay him, then they should pay him less. What's Gary supposed to do?

"He's been a great presenter, people love him. He's Mr Football. The BBC are lucky to have had him."

Earlier in the year, when asked about his tenure on Match of the Day during an appearance on BBC Breakfast, Lineker remarked: "It depends how long they want me, I suppose, I love doing it at the moment. I've still got another year left, at least. So we'll have to wait and see what happens."

He also noted the evolving landscape of football broadcasting rights could influence his future, but expressed gratitude for his role: "Obviously it's another change in football and television and the rights of the Premier League and stuff like that. All of these things will play a part. But I just feel it's been an absolute privilege to have presented it for 25 years now. I must be getting old!"

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