23 July 2023 , 10:20
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Gary Lineker took the high road after his Match of the Day predecessor Des Lynam told him to “get on with the football”.
Lynam was the face of BBC ’s flagship football show until he made the switch to ITV in 1999, allowing Lineker to take the top job. The former Tottenham and Leicester striker has credited the 80-year-old as one of his broadcasting inspirations - and was given the nickname of ‘Mini Des’ during his playing days.
The two remain close friends, but in an interview with BBC Radio 4, Lynam has admitted he isn’t a fan of Lineker’s increasingly political social media output. The 62-year-old found himself at the centre of a storm earlier this year, when he was taken off television following a Tweet that was critical of the Conservative Party’s immigration policies.
Lineker was also outspoken about Qatar ’s role as World Cup hosts at the end of last year, given the huge question marks surrounding their human rights record. And Lynam has suggested that while he gets on with Lineker the man, Lineker the tweeter is a different story.
“I like him as a chap, I like him as a broadcaster, but there are some areas he should stay out of,” Lynam explained.
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“For example, this World Cup was in Qatar and he went very strongly about the limitations of living in Qatar - he’s right, there are - but he’s not the right person to say it…get on with the football!”
The message was sent to Lineker on social media via TV personality Adil Ray, who referred back to Lynam’s previous endorsement of Nigel Farage in 2013. However, rather than initiate any type of back and forth, Lineker simply responded: “Des is entitled to his opinion…as, of course, am I.”
Lineker’s position and future at the BBC was under scrutiny back in March after claims he had broken impartiality rules for employees of the corporation. Lineker missed one edition of the Saturday-night staple, before he was quickly reinstated following threats of widespread strikes.
And following his return, Lineker doubled down on his sentiments and sent a message to the ‘stick to football’ brigade. “When I sent that tweet, it honestly never even crossed my mind that it would lead to where it went,” he told Men’s Health Magazine.
“I've worked with refugees' charities for years. So, when I saw the Suella Braverman film, I said I thought it was pretty awful.
“Then the 'stick to football' people weighed in and I replied to one of them, just saying there was no massive influx, the UK takes far fewer refugees than other European countries, this is a cruel policy, and the language used in the debate reminds us of the debate in Germany in the 1930s. I think that is factually accurate.”