Lineker alters social media profile in Israel football row

GARY LINEKER has changed his social media profile to say that “retweets are not endorsements” following a row over a post he shared calling for Israel to be banned from world football.

The Match of the Day presenter last week shared a call from a pro-Palestinian campaign for Israel to be barred from all international games and tournaments “until it ends its grave violations of international law”.

Lineker, who has repeatedly called for a ceasefire between the Israeli military and Hamas, removed the retweet from his account following a backlash from Jewish leaders and MPs.

Sources claimed he had misunderstood the post and believed he was sharing a news article about Israel being expelled from sporting tournaments, rather than a demand for such a ban.

His biography on X, formerly known as Twitter, now reads: “Once kicked a ball about. Now talk about kicking a ball about. The Rest Is Football \@***restisfootball @goalhangerpods ..Instagram. [sic] Retweets are not endorsements.”

A source close to Lineker insisted he chose to add the disclaimer himself, adding that the presenter “has always believed that reposts without comment do not signify approval or endorsement”.

Lineker, who is the BBC’s highest-paid presenter on a salary of £1.35 million, briefly stepped back from his

Match of the Day presenting duties in March 2023 after he compared words used about migration by Suella Braverman, then home secretary, to the language of Nazi Germany.

The furore prompted a review of the national broadcaster’s social media guidelines for staff, with Lineker able to express his opinions as long as he does not veer into partisan campaigning or endorsements of political parties.

Samir Shah, the new BBC chairman, said a post by Lineker last year had appeared to “breach particular guidelines” for freelance presenters meaning he cannot attack individual politicians.

Lineker is also lending his support to a celebrity campaign against the Government’s flagship Rwanda deportation policy. A Bill to enshrine the Rwanda plan in law cleared the House of Commons earlier this week.