Simon Jordan believes both the BBC and Gary Lineker are at fault following his exit from the broadcaster.
The former England striker will leave his role with the BBC following the season finale of Match of the Day on Sunday.
talkSPORTJordan believes both the BBC and Lineker are to blame for his early exit[/caption] GettyThe Match of the Day host will step down after Sunday’s season finale[/caption]Lineker had already been set to step down as the show’s host this summer but remain with the broadcaster for another year.
However, he will no longer present coverage of next season’s FA Cup or the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
His exit comes amid an anti-semitism row following a post re-shared on social media by Lineker.
The pro-Gaza post, which Lineker later deleted, likened supporters of Israel to rats.
In a statement confirming his BBC exit, the presenter said: “Football has been at the heart of my life for as long as I can remember – both on the pitch and in the studio.
“I care deeply about the game, and about the work I’ve done with the BBC over many years. As I’ve said, I would never consciously repost anything antisemitic – it goes against everything I stand for.
“However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action.”
Jordan gave his reaction to Lineker’s BBC departure on Monday morning prior to his exit being officially confirmed.
Asked who is at fault out of the presenter and the broadcaster, the talkSPORT co-host said: “All of them, quite clearly all of them.
“I mean, if you want to dip into this world and make observations about things of this nature it’s upon you to make sure that you know what you’re observing and if you’re going to repost what someone else has put forward you should understand what you’re reposting.
GettyLineker apologised after re-sharing a pro-Gaza post on social media[/caption] talkSPORTJordan believes Lineker ‘doesn’t need’ to work for the BBC anymore[/caption]“I made the point last week that I don’t go to Gary Lineker as my fountain of knowledge about anything so it doesn’t really take the same.
“I don’t look at Gary Lineker saying he’s posted something I don’t agree with. He should be able to do it.
“The BBC had clear guidelines and they allowed Lineker to be able to flaunt them and they didn’t do enough about it and now what Lineker’s done and he will defend his observations.”
Lineker was previously suspended from Match of the Day in 2023 after comparing the government’s language surrounding immigration to ‘1930s Germany’.
Jordan continued: “It’s interesting to see that he’s a bit of a lefty so it’ll be interesting to see that the language that’s being used by the Labour Party now is not too different from the language that was being used when he accused it of being 1930s Germany.
“Maybe that won’t suit his particular persuasion but I’ve never been in the camp that what Lineker says is important.
“But in so far as the fact that he’s a BBC employee the neutrality of the observations of a state funded broadcaster has some burdens upon it and Steve Rider spoke about it this morning and I heard it on one of the other platforms about the fact that the BBC should have been clearer, (more) concise and more enforced upon Lineker.
“You will not have the opportunity on the back of being a very highly paid BBC member of staff to voice your opinions that are less than neutral on any subject matter and if you don’t like it then don’t be in the position that you’re in. You’re highly paid. They didn’t do that.
“They didn’t do that and now what they’ve got is a situation where Gary’s carried on posting his opinions, agree with them or disagree with them in equal measure. And he’s now at a point where his BBC career’s finished.”
Lineker moved into broadcasting after retiring from professional football in 1994.
He has spent the majority of his presenting career with the BBC, where he has served as Match of the Day host since 1999.
The 64-year-old has since launched his own production company, Goalhanger, who’s podcast portfolio includes his The Rest is Football show.
GettyLineker will no longer front coverage of next summer’s World Cup[/caption]Jordan believes the firm will soften the blow of leaving the BBC for Lineker, explaining: “Anyway, he’s not bothered. He’s got a wonderful production company called Goalhanger which is going 10 to the dozen. He doesn’t need this anymore.
“He can’t defend the retweet. He knows that he’s transgressed. So he can’t invoke the idea that I do believe that what’s being said by the government is akin to 1930s Germany and make it a matter of opinion.
“But also if you’re going to delve into these areas and you’re going to repost something you better know what it is. His explanation of ‘never knowingly would I be anti-semitic’ quite frankly probably isn’t good enough because you wanted to repost this for a reason.
“And if you want to repost something that has a connotation that could potentially you do have to be a bloody student of history.
“But if you’re the one who wants to repost these things to make your point then you should know what point it is that you’re making and you should know what kind of imagery is being utilised in conjunction with that.”
Lineker will officially leave the BBC after Sunday’s episode of Match of the Day.
The show will bring down the curtain on the season following the final day of the Premier League campaign.
Kelly Cates, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman have already been confirmed as Lineker’s successors from the start of next season.
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