Gary Lineker opens final Match of the Day with joke over BBC row | OneFootball

Gary Lineker shared a joke to open his final appearance as Match of the Day presenter before the former England, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona striker steps down earlier than planned following the antisemitism row.

Lineker has anchored the BBC’s flagship football programme and worked with the corporation for 26 years.

But before the first highlights of the final day of the Premier League season, with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards alongside the 64-year-old in the studio, Lineker’s message hinted at his controversial and premature departure from the BBC.

“It wasn't meant to end this way,” Lineker said, in a message open to interpretation after a turbulent few weeks and seemingly at his own expense.

“But with a title race over and the relegation places confirmed, the Champions League was all we had to talk about!”

The BBC played a series of tributes and highlights before the end of the show, including Shearer, Richards, Ian Wright, Alan Smith, Peter Shilton, Paul Gascoigne and others, including his sons George, Angus, Tobias and Harry.

“You're a legend, fortunate enough to have met you a number of times,” Virgil Van Dijk added.

And Man City boss Pep Guardiola said: “You will be missed, you don’t believe it, but you will, I love the program, hopefully life will give you a new challenge.”

“I wish you all the best my friend, because I love you,” Wright concluded. While Shearer said: “Whatever you choose to do on Saturdays, good luck, we’ll miss you!”

Lineker, starting to tear up, then closed the show out with a speech before the closing credits alongside Andrea Bocelli’s ‘Time to say Goodbye’.

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“I'll try, for one last time, here's the Premier League table,” Lineker started. “I can't find a copy, you can read it for yourself, it doesn't matter, Liverpool won the league, the teams that won qualification for the Champions League are Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Newcastle, Villa and Forest will also play European football next season.

"The bottom of the table... It's the first time I've ever ad-libbed this, the bottom three are going down, as they tend to do. One of those teams is Leicester, which is not really how I wanted to finish.

"Alan, Micah, thank you, I suspect our paths will cross again very shortly.

"Let me take this opportunity to thank all the other pundits I've had the pleasure of working with over the last 25 years. You've made my job so much easier, also a huge thank you to those you don't see at home, the work that goes into making this iconic show is a huge team effort.

"From the editors to the analysis team, from the commentators to the floor managers, from the producers to the camera operators, from the PAs to the subs. Thank you all. You're the very best.

"Rather like my football career, everyone else did all the hard work and I got the plaudits. It's been an absolute privilege to host Match of the Day for a quarter of a century, it's been utterly joyous. I'd like to wish Gabby [Logan], Mark [Chapman] and Kelly [Cates] all the very best when they sit in this chair.

"The programme is in the best of hands. My final thank you goes to all of you, thank you for watching, thank you for all your love and support over the years, it's been so special, and I'm sorry your team was always on last. Time to say goodbye, goodbye.”

Lineker also picked the goal of the season, selecting Kaoru Mitoma’s strike against Chelsea after Shearer and Richards were split between the Brighton star and Man City forward Omar Marmoush’s powerful hit against Bournemouth.

“I think Marmoush was fantastic,” claimed Lineker. “But Mitoma was a bit different.”

Lineker was due to leave Match of the Day at the end of the season, but had been slated to continue presenting future coverage for the broadcaster including the men’s World Cup next summer and the next FA Cup.

However, Lineker’s exit was accelerated after a row erupted over him inadvertently sharing a pro-Palestine social media post which featured a picture of a rat, a symbol which has been used in antisemitic propaganda, including by the Nazis.

Lineker apologised for the incident, saying he would “never knowingly share anything antisemitic”, but added, “I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”

Gary Lineker presents his final Match of the Day before his BBC exit (BBC)

Lineker’s comments on social media had landed him in hot water before, with BBC bosses concerned his outspoken comments on certain issues, such as Palestine, flouted the corporation’s strict impartiality rules.