Piers Morgan hints at why Gary Lineker was really 'sacked' from Match of The Day

Piers Morgan has taken a swipe at 'pal' Gary Lineker, claiming he knows the real reason he was 'sacked' from Match of the Day just one day after departure confirmed

Piers Morgan took a swipe at his "pal" Gary Lineker just one day after it was revealed he would be departing from Match of the Day next year.

The two media personalities have been longtime friends, but despite their comradely, Piers, 59, has made a bold claim about the 63-year-old, seemingly insinuating that the former footballer was sacked from his £1.35million a year job due to his strong opinions.

In his most recent Piers Morgan Uncensored article, the media heavyweight recalled a recent dinner he and Gary went to with England cricket legend Stuart Broad and Sky TV newsman Mark Austin. Describing his friend as "excellent company, " he said the group spoke about many political topics, including Donald Trump's presidency, the Russian/ Ukraine war and England's new manager Thomas Tuchel.

Sharing how the "fine wine flowed" and a "couple of Negorinis" were needed to "loosen the tonsils", Morgan praised his friend for his "fiery conversational combat" and said despite how "contentious" their dinner table conversations may get, they always end with a hug and a plan to meet again.

However, the star also shared another side of his friend and used his column, published on The Sun website, to highlight Lineker's faults: "One thing's for sure; although Gary's not always right and can be amusingly stubborn when he is clearly wrong", he said. Morgan continued to insinuate that the TV star could afford to be that way as he "always means" what he says and has a "surprisingly" deep approach to thinking about his statements.

Calling Lineker a "brilliant" host and presenter, the controversial journalist and TV star concluded his post by telling readers that he finds it "amusing" to see the reactions to his friend's opinions. "So, amusing though it is to see how angry some people get about him and his right to express his opinions - he got particularly incensed over dinner when I said he was now a more divisive public figure than me!"

Morgan's comments come after a source revealed to The Sun that Lineker's retirement from the show resulted in no love loss between him and the company's new head of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski : "It's one of the industry's worst-kept secrets that the new BBC Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski and Gary aren't exactly close. The former is very keen to make his mark by bringing in new faces and slashing wage bills."

Lineker has been fronting the show since taking over from previous host Des Lynam in 1999, becoming the BBC's highest-paid star. Following confirmation of his departure, the BBC announced that Lineker will continue working with the broadcaster - with a substantial pay cut - for the next 18 months and will continue to present their FA Cup coverage and the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada.

Issuing a brief statement earlier today, marking the first time he has addressed the situation, Lineker said: "I'm delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen."

BBC's Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski thanked Lineker for his loyal service over two decades, adding: "Gary is a world-class presenter, and we're delighted that he'll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup. It is yet to be revealed who will take over for the star.

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