Lineker reveals he always ignored BBC's on-air swearing rule during his 26-year tenure

Gary Lineker has disclosed that he consistently ignored the BBC’s standing instruction to apologise whenever swearing occurred on air, flouting the broadcaster’s protocol throughout his 26-year run as host of Match of the Day.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the former England striker explained his reasoning plainly: “We have this strange obsession with worrying about swearing even though it’s just four letters in a certain order. It has always bewildered me. I found it really odd. When someone swears on TV you get told in your ear to apologise. I never did. I always ignored it.”

Lineker’s BBC career ended in May 2025 following a controversial social media post about Zionism, for which he later apologised. He has since moved to Netflix, where he is fronting World Cup 2026 coverage alongside Alan Shearer and Micah Richards on an extended run of The Rest Is Football podcast.

The new platform has given Lineker licence to be considerably more candid — including about the BBC itself. On the first episode of the World Cup series, Shearer told Lineker bluntly: “You’re not f*g relevant anymore, you’re off the BBC. You are on Netflix with us.” Lineker shot back: “I would say that is a step in the right direction and the pair of you can f* off.”

Lineker also took aim at the BBC’s decision to present its World Cup coverage from a domestic studio rather than travelling to the United States. “I was originally going to do it for the BBC, this summer, but that didn’t transpire and I would have been in Salford in a green box,” he said. “Now I’m going to be in New York City overlooking Times Square with lots of great guests.”

BBC director of sport Alex Kay-Jelski pushed back on the characterisation, insisting: “It’s not a green box in Salford. It’s a beautiful state-of-the-art studio. No one’s seen it until now.” He added: “The actual end product people are getting at home, I don’t really think it’s that different.”

Lineker appeared unbothered by the ongoing attention his comments attract. “I don’t really mind it actually because all it does, it keeps me relevant,” he said.