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Gary Lineker recently stepped down from the Match of the Day show on BBC amidst controversy. The former striker faced criticism for recently comparing the UK government's illegal migration policy with Nazi Germany.
Lineker was, in fact, the highest-earning English pundit in football. According to Sports Lens, the former Barcelona striker earned approximately €1.3 million per year in his role as a pundit. He covered the Premier League and the FA Cup. Lineker has previously won the Sports Personality of the Year award too.
According to BBC, the former England striker bagged home a whopping €1.36 million during the 2020-21 calendar year. He made €1.75 million during the 2019-20 calendar year. Lineker has been hosting the Match of the Day show since 1999.
BBC released a statement about Gary Lineker that read (via BBC):
"When it comes to leading our football and sports coverage, Gary is second to none. We have never said that Gary should be an opinion free zone, or that he can't have a view on issues that matter to him, but we have said that he should keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies."
Lineker won't be appearing on the show till an understanding of the rules of social media use is reached.
Ian Wright showed support for Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker's fellow pundit Ian Wright recently claimed that he won't be appearing on the Match of the Day show on Saturday (March 11). The Arsenal legend's gesture will be in solidarity with Lineker. Wright tweeted:
"Everybody knows what Match of the Day means to me, but I’ve told the BBC I won’t be doing it tomorrow. Solidarity."
Lineker had previously tweeted that he won't be facing a suspension from BBC. He wrote:
"Well, it’s been an interesting couple of days. Happy that this ridiculously out of proportion story seems to be abating and very much looking forward to presenting @BBCMOTD on Saturday. Thanks again for all your incredible support. It’s been overwhelming."
The situation has certainly changed since. Whether Lineker returns to his role as the presenter of the MOTD show in the future remains to be seen.
