Lineker tells Richards to 'shut the f*** up' after BBC 'traitor' jibe over ITV cameo

Gary Lineker swiftly silenced co-host Micah Richards on their Netflix podcast The Rest Is Football after Richards called him an “absolute traitor” for making a cameo appearance on ITV’s World Cup coverage, with Lineker telling him to “shut the f*** up” before theatrically switching off the monitor Richards was appearing on.

Lineker, who spent over two decades as the face of the BBC’s football output before severing all ties with the corporation in May last year, joined ITV’s live broadcast ahead of Germany’s clash with Ivory Coast. He wasted little time taking a dig at his former employers, describing ITV’s setup as “absolutely amazing” in contrast to the BBC’s remote arrangement, and quipped: “Thank you for joining us on ITV for this one, another day, another game, another channel.”

Presenter Laura Woods quickly intervened — “Woah, woah, woah Gary, that’s my job” — prompting Lineker to apologise with a grin: “Sorry, sorry, old habits Laura, old habits.”

The brief appearance generated considerable attention, and the pair revisited it on The Rest Is Football. Richards mirrored Lineker’s ITV intro before Lineker interrupted him with the same “woah, woah, woah” routine Woods had used on him. When Richards called him a traitor, citing “26 years of blood, sweat and tears to the BBC”, Lineker’s response was characteristically direct.

Once Richards returned to the show, Lineker offered a candid explanation for the ITV visit. “I was making an appearance to promote my show ‘The Box’, which is also on ITV in September,” he said with a wry smile. “And also I wanted to go and have a little look at the studio. I also wanted to go and promote our Netflix show, which I got two mentions in for. It was just for purely professional reasons, Micah.”

Lineker has been following the World Cup from New York, where he has been hosting daily editions of The Rest Is Football for Netflix. He had originally planned to remain part of the BBC’s World Cup output after stepping down from Match of the Day, but ultimately cut all ties with the broadcaster last year.