Gary Lineker's absence from BBC Champions League highlights show explained
The BBC will show Champions League highlights in a midweek Match of the Day, but they will not be presented by the show's long-time host, Gary Lineker
by Mark Whiley · The MirrorGary Lineker will be a notable absentee when the BBC begins screening Champions League highlights.
Europe’s premier club competition has been locked exclusively behind a paywall in recent years, with TNT Sports/Discovery holding the rights to live action. That remains the case in terms of live action, but from this season there will also be terrestrial TV highlights, with the BBC snapping up the rights.
The first Match of the Day Champions League show of the season will air on Wednesday night at 10.40pm and will run for one hour and 20 minutes. However, in what will be a surprise to many, Lineker, who has fronted Match of the Day for 25 years, won’t be hosting the programme.
Lineker is no stranger to Champions League coverage, having hosted live matches while with BT Sports (now TNT Sports). However, BBC bosses have chosen Gabby Logan to present the new show instead.
According to The Telegraph, BBC did hold talks with Lineker over hosting the show, although a formal offer was never made. His busy schedule, which includes the successful The Rest is Football podcast, produced by his own production company, was said to be an issue. Being expected to make extra trips to Salford, where Match of the Day is filmed, was also a potential stumbling block.
Lineker’s long-term future at the BBC is unclear, with the 63-year-old’s current £1.35 million-a-year deal coming to an end next summer. The corporation may soon want some clarity on his next move as they have secured a new four-year deal for Premier League highlights until 2029.
HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you think of Lineker not hosting the BBC's Champions League coverage? Tell us in the comments section.
Jermaine Jenas was once seen as a potential long-term successor on the flagship Saturday night show. However, the former Newcastle and Nottingham Forest midfielder recently saw his BBC contract terminated for sending “inappropriate messages” to female colleagues.
The now ex-One Show presenter has since apologised to the women involved. In an interview with The Sun, he said: “When it was all unfolding and I knew I was losing my job, I asked HR if I could contact the two women directly and apologise to both of them.
“But because of the legal process, I wasn’t allowed. I didn’t get the opportunity to say sorry to them at that particular point when I really wanted to apologise. I really want to apologise from the bottom of my heart in terms of what I’ve put them through.”
Addressing the women directly, he added: “I’m genuinely sorry for what I’ve done to you. I always thought it was consensual and a two-way thing.”
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