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Topics: Gary Lineker, Match Of The Day, Football, Premier League
Chris Byfield
Topics: Gary Lineker, Match Of The Day, Football, Premier League
With Gary Lineker set to be absent from Match of the Day hosting chair for an undetermined amount of time, there has been much speculation as to who will temporarily take over the role.
A BBC statement has revealed that Lineker is to step back from presenting Match of the Day until an agreement is reached on his social media use.
It follows an impartiality row over comments he made on Twitter in which he was critical of the government’s new asylum policy.
The presenter compared the language used by the government regarding asylum seekers to that “used by Germany in the 30s”.
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In a statement, the BBC said it considered Lineker’s social media use to be a “breach of guidelines”, adding that he should "keep well away from taking sides on party political issues or political controversies".
Here are a few names that could take over from the former England striker.
The obvious alternative to Lineker would be Mark Chapman, who has been presenting Match of the Day either as a stand-in or as the main presenter since 2009.
Indeed, following the departure of Colin Murray, Chapman became the main host of Match of the Day 2 in 2013.
The 49-year-old also replaced Mark Pougatch on 5 live Sport on Saturday afternoons, and continues to host the Monday evening edition of the programme alongside other midweek shows.
Elsewhere, former England midfielder Jermaine Jenas has been a regular feature on our screens since he moved into television upon being released by QPR in 2014.
Having started out as a pundit, Jenas began co-presenting The One Show with Alex Jones in 2020, while he is also host of MOTDx.
Indeed, Lineker said in a 2019 Radio Times interview that Jenas would be a worthy replacement on Match of the Day.
Other names touted are Alex Scott, who became the BBC’s first female pundit at a men’s World Cup in 2018.
A year later, Scott was announced as the new co-host of Sky Sports' Goals on Sunday alongside Chris Kamara while she has been a regular presenter on the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards and filled in on the One Show on occasion.
Gabby Logan is another potential replacement, having regularly deputises for Lineker on Match of the Day in the past.
The former gymnast also reported for the BBC from the England Camp for the 2010 World Cup, Euro 2012 and the World Cup in 2014 while she has hosted their Olympic Games coverage at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021.
Another option is Jason Mohammad, who is the current host of Final Score. The Welshman is also an occasional presenter of Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2, often deputising for Lineker and Chapman respectively.
Kelly Somers could also be in the running, having been presenter of the Woman’s Football Show. She was also the BBC’s England reporter at the World Cup in Qatar, a role she first performed at the European Championships a year earlier.
An outside bet would be Alan Shearer. The Premier League's record goalscorer is not accustomed to the hosting chair, but has been a regular pundit on Match of the Day since retiring from football in 2006.