Gary Lineker facing a court showdown with HMRC over huge £4.9m tax bill

BBC presenter and former footballer Gary Lineker is set to face a court date over a tax bill close to £5million regarding his earnings between 2013 and 2018

Gary Lineker is facing a court showdown with HMRC over a £4.9m tax bill.

The Match of the Day host, 63 - who’s quitting the football show at the end of the season - will be quizzed about his earnings from when he worked for BBC and BT Sport from 2013 to 2018. He listed himself as a freelancer - while the tax authorities considered him an employee.

In March 2023, the courts ruled in former Leicester City and England ace Lineker’s favour against HMRC. Three months later, HMRC appealed that decision - and now a date has been set for the two parties to face each other at the Upper Tribunal on December 2 and 3.

Lineker argued that he had paid all his tax legitimately though his firm Gary Lineker Media Ltd - a similar argument used by telly favourite Lorraine Kelly, who faced a £1.2M bill but a judge ruled she worked for herself and not ITV. The news comes as the BBC this week confirmed the much-loved MOTD host will leave the show he first fronted in 1999 at the end of this season.

He will remain at the Beeb until 2026 after both parties agreed in principle to him presenting coverage of the next World Cup. He will also host coverage of the FA Cup in the 2025-26 season and continue with the MoTD Top Ten podcast. And the corporation will carry The Rest is Football podcast, featuring Lineker, on BBC Sounds.

Lineker said: "I'm delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen."

Alex Kay-Jelski, director of BBC Sport, described Lineker as a "worldclass presenter", who will be "hugely missed" on Match of the Day. The bookies' favourites to replace the former England goal-machine include Mark Chapman, the regular Match Of The Day 2 presenter.

"Chappers" is also a key part of the BBC's coverage of football on radio, presenting Sports Report and the Monday Night Club on 5 Live. He also fronts Global podcast The Sports Agents with Gabby Logan, another candidate to succeed Lineker.

Former gymnast Gabby has presented MoTD in his absence and fronted coverage of England women's Euros 2023. Ex-Lioness Alex Scott is also firmly in the mix having presented The One Show and worked alongside Lineker on the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year programme.

A BBC statement said: "Plans for Match of the Day will be announced in due course." Lineker, who regularly tops public lists of the BBC's highest earners, took over as host from Des Lynam in 1999

He had started as a BBC Radio 5 Live presenter and also worked on Saturday afternoon show Grandstand. In March last year, Lineker was briefly suspended from the programme after his tweet about the government's asylum policy sparked a row over BBC presenters expressing political views on social media.

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