![Gary Lineker claims he did not call England 's---' on his podcast](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/13/TELEMMGLPICT000383285398_17208640660030_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqSi337alCzZlNCzpYHnAgHlmtg1ORlozJ7snkLAhHg88.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Gary Lineker claims he did not call England ‘s---’ at Euro 2024
Lineker claims he said ‘it’ was s--- on his podcast, ‘it’ being the game and he got ‘shafted a bit’ when Harry Kane was told otherwise
![Gary Lineker claims he did not call England 's---' on his podcast](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/13/TELEMMGLPICT000383285398_17208640660030_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqSi337alCzZlNCzpYHnAgHlmtg1ORlozJ7snkLAhHg88.jpeg?imwidth=680)
Gary Lineker has claimed he did not call England “s---” as he reignited the row over his controversial criticism of the team and Gareth Southgate.
The BBC’s star football presenter infuriated Southgate’s side last month with his brutal verdict on their dismal display in their 1-1 European Championship draw against Denmark.
Speaking after the game on his own The Rest is Football podcast, he said: “I can’t imagine anybody that is English that would have enjoyed England’s performance. Because it was lethargic. It was dour. I mean, you can think of all sorts of words and expletives, if you like, but it was s---.”
He also suggested Southgate had been “tactically inept”, comments he doubled down on in later episodes.
That prompted England captain Harry Kane to take a swipe back by suggesting Lineker and co-host Alan Shearer had ramped up their criticism of the national team for commercial gain.
But in an interview with The Guardian published two days before Sunday’s Euro 2024 final, Lineker said: “I got shafted a bit with that. I never said that either Harry Kane or England were s---. I listened back to make sure. I said ‘it’ was s---, ‘it’ being the game. But it goes to Harry as ‘Gary Lineker says you were s---’, which is a bit naughty.”
A spokesman for Lineker declined to comment when informed his client’s claims appeared not to tally with what he had said on his podcast.
A BBC spokesperson said the latest controversy to engulf the Match of the Day presenter was for him to respond to.
The corporation’s editorial guidelines state: “The BBC is committed to achieving due accuracy in all its output.”
They add: “The BBC must not knowingly and materially mislead its audiences. We should not distort known facts, present invented material as fact or otherwise undermine our audiences’ trust in our content.
“We should normally acknowledge serious factual errors and correct them quickly, clearly and appropriately.”
BBC staff unhappy over Lineker’s criticism of Southgate
Telegraph Sport revealed on Friday how BBC staff had been left unhappy about Lineker’s outspoken criticisms of Southgate, particularly as he had not backed down following England’s historic run to a second successive Euros final.
After initially downplaying the impact of criticism there had been of him during the tournament, Southgate admitted after the country’s dramatic semi-final win over Netherlands on Wednesday that he had been hurt by some of it, adding: “We all want to be loved.”
Some Football Association staff and others close to Southgate have also noted there had been no attempt by Lineker to clear the air.
BBC staff who deal with Southgate on an almost daily basis have also been left feeling uncomfortable and embarrassed by the furore.
While Lineker’s use of a four-letter expletive after the Denmark match dominated the headlines, it was his sustained evisceration of Southgate as a tactician that has had a lasting impact.
The FA has not restricted any of the BBC’s access to players or management, although it will be intriguing to discover if Lineker is permitted to interview Southgate in the aftermath of Sunday’s final. The rights holders’ interviews to preview the final that will be screened before kick-off will be conducted by Kelly Somers for the BBC and ITV’s Gabriel Clarke.
Lineker doubled down on his criticisms in the aftermath of the Denmark row, blaming journalists for “not being brave enough to ask their own questions” in the next episode of The Rest is Football.
A video of the post-Denmark podcast shows Lineker and Micah Richards with a glass of red wine each while the episode was being recorded, which has also caused embarrassment at the BBC.
As Telegraph Sport reported last month, Lineker’s earnings from The Rest is Football, which is owned by his production company Goalhanger Podcasts, are soaring.
Lineker’s son Harry, who produces The Rest is Football, revealed that monthly downloads had increased by 62 per cent during the Euros, while several episodes have attracted more than 500,000 views on YouTube.
But he categorically denied the outspoken opinions aired on the podcast had been made for commercial gain.
Lineker Snr is a divisive figure at the BBC, with many members of staff appearing to resent the fact that the corporation’s highest-paid contributor does not have to comply with their impartiality guidelines.
It was noticeable that while Match of the Day pundits including Alan Shearer and Ian Wright effectively went on strike out of solidarity with Lineker following his suspension last year, many of the BBC’s reporting and production staff continued to work.
Lineker’s long-term future at the BBC is uncertain, with Telegraph Sport revealing earlier this week that he will not present its new Champions League highlights programme next season. The 63-year-old’s existing £1.35 million-a-year contract expires next summer, but the BBC will require clarity long before then as it has secured a new four-year deal for Match of the Day until 2029.