Gary Lineker

Lineker was among hundreds of media figures calling on the BBC to restore the documentary 'Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone', which had been removed following due diligence concerns about the identity of the young narrator's father.

State of the evidence

Documented

Lineker shared a video critical of Zionism containing an illustration of a rat, imagery historically associated with antisemitic depictions. He deleted it following the controversy, stating that he had neither noticed nor understood the significance of the image, and apologised unreservedly.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

After leaving the BBC, Lineker said the corporation should 'hold its head in shame' for abandoning the broadcast of 'Gaza: Doctors Under Attack' and criticised BBC management over its coverage of Gaza.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

HMRC sought approximately £4.9 million from Lineker under IR35 in relation to his BBC and BT Sport income. In 2023, the First-tier Tribunal ruled that his contracts, entered into directly through a partnership, could not be treated as intermediary arrangements in the manner argued by HMRC.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Directly implicated

Lineker retweeted a call by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel for Israel to be banned from international competitions, before deleting it. He said he had mistakenly believed the post announced a ban already decided upon.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

Lineker denounced the government's asylum policy and compared its language with that used in Germany in the 1930s. Following an enormous political controversy, the BBC temporarily removed him from Match of the Day; several colleagues refused to work in solidarity, seriously disrupting sports programmes.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Lineker replied to Liz Truss by asking whether the Conservative Party would return donations from people of Russian origin. The BBC complaints unit ruled that the tweet did not comply with the impartiality rules applicable to someone with his public profile.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

The Daily Mail criticised Lineker over his tax affairs and an investment linked to Ingenious, while he was publicly campaigning on refugee issues. Lineker denounced a vendetta and maintained that he had always paid his taxes in full and on time.

Attribution

Directly implicated

The Paradise Papers showed that Goalhanger Inc, a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, held a property belonging to Lineker in Barbados. The arrangement could reduce certain local duties if the property was sold through shares rather than a direct transfer.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Lineker described the treatment of young refugees arriving in the United Kingdom as 'hideously racist and utterly heartless', sparking controversy about the impartiality of a prominent BBC personality.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated