Broadcasting star Gary Lineker has stepped down from the BBC after a contentious post about Zionism. -AP
Gary Lineker, the former England soccer player turned media celebrity, will leave his role as a presenter for the BBC after facing criticism for reposting an Instagram story about Zionism which featured a picture of a rat.
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The 64-year-old Lineker, who is the British national broadcaster's highest-paid presenter on about 1.3 million pounds ($1.7 million) a year, was set to leave flagship soccer highlights show Match of the Day at the end of this season but remain with the corporation to front other soccer coverage, including next year's men's World Cup.
However, the BBC said in a statement Lineker would step down from the BBC after the final Match of the Day episode next weekend in the wake of his decision to share a post from the group, Palestine Lobby, illustrated with a picture of a rat, titled: "Zionism explained in two minutes".
Rats have been used to represent Jews in antisemitic propaganda throughout history, including by the Nazis in 1930s Germany.
"Gary has acknowledged the mistake he made," BBC director-general Tim Davie said. "Accordingly, we have agreed he will step back from further presenting after this season."
Lineker had apologised last week for his conduct, saying he reposted material which he subsequently learned contained "offensive references," adding that he withdrew the post as soon as he became aware of the issue and "would never knowingly share anything antisemitic".
Before Lineker's apology, Davie said the corporation needed people to be the "exemplars of BBC values and follow our social media policies" and that "when someone makes a mistake, it costs us".
