Football fans were stunned when it was revealed Gary Lineker is set to step down from his Match of the Day presenting role at the end of the current season.
Speculation had been rife that the former England striker was to leave his role on the iconic highlights show after 25 years, and the BBC confirmed his exit in a statement on Monday. They revealed he will continue to lead the organisation's coverage of the 2026 World Cup, before stepping away altogether.
Breaking his silence on the announcement on Tuesday, the 63-year-old shared his happiness that he'll remain with the organisation in a new role. He said: "I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen."
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BBC)One of the frontrunners to replace him is former Lioness, Alex Scott. The fellow footballer-turned-presenter has been an integral part in the BBC's football analysis team in recent years, including a role on Football Focus.
Gary and Alex share a healthy working relationship and she previously refused to work in a show of support to the veteran presenter. In March last year, she confirmed she wouldn't host the midday football programme in a show of solidarity to the former Leicester City man, leading to the show being pulled from the schedule.
At the time, the BBC said that Gary would be "stepping back" from his role as host of Match of the Day following comments he made on social media in which he criticised the government's Migration Bill. He likened the bill to 1930s Germany and the organisation took the decision to stand him down from his role.
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Getty Images)However, it wasn't a decision that was met well by his colleagues and sparked a major backlash. A number of them, including Alex, opted to boycott the weekend's broadcast, before Gary was reinstated. Alan Shearer and Ian Wright were also among those making a stand at the time.
Alex tweeted her stance: "I made a decision last night that even though I love doing football focus and we have had an incredible week winning an SJA award that it just doesn’t feel right going ahead with the show today. Hopefully I will be back in the chair next week…"
Weeks later, when both Alex and Gary had returned to their roles, she couldn't resist throwing a cheeky jibe in his direction. She filled in for him for an FA Cup fixture after he was struck down by illness. Replacing him, she joked near the start of the coverage: "Everyone in the house apart from Gary Lineker." Her sarcastic comment was met with laughter by pundits Danny Murphy and Glenn Murray.
It remains to be seen who will replace Gary full time after this season's Premier League finishes. Alongside Alex, Mark Chapman is the current favourite, while Gabby Logan and Jason Mohammad have all also been mentioned.
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