Gary Lineker says he felt BBC wanted him to leave Match of the Day
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Gary Lineker has suggested the BBC wanted him to leave Match of the Day, ahead of his departure next month after more than a quarter of the century at the helm of the show.In an interview with Amol Rajan for the BBC, Lineker discussed his departure from the football highlights programme, which was announced late last year.Gabby Logan, Kelly Cates and Mark Chapman will host the show from the 2025-26 season onwards, while Lineker will host the corporation’s coverage of the FA Cup in 2025-26 and the World Cup in 2026.“It’s time,” he told Rajan. “I’ve done it for a long time, it’s been brilliant.”Pressed on why he would want to leave, Lineker, 64, said: “Well perhaps they want me to leave … there was a sense of that.“I think it was their preference that I didn’t do Match of the Day for one more year so they could bring in new people, so it’s slightly unusual that I would do the FA Cup and World Cup but to be honest it’s a scenario that suits me perfectly.”The former England striker added t...