Gary Lineker has 'carte blanche' at the BBC and bosses are turning a blind eye to him, furious staff claim - amid fury at star 'flouting advertising rules' by wearing his Next menswear range
Gary Lineker has 'carte blanche' at the BBC and bosses are turning a blind eye to him, furious staff have claimed.
Pressure is mounting on the Corporation to rebuke Lineker after he was alleged to have broken BBC guidelines by appearing to wear his own range of Next menswear during England's opening Euros game.
Lineker was dressed in a pale green T-shirt and sage jacket while fronting the BBC's coverage of England vs Serbia to nearly 15 million viewers on Sunday night.
They looks identical to a £16 T-shirt and £55 jacket he is pictured advertising on Next's website.
BBC guidelines state that presenters should not 'appear on-air wearing clothing or using products or services which they have agreed/been contracted to promote, advertise or endorse or in which they have a specific financial interest'.
The latest incident has sparked fury from BBC staff, with insiders claiming Lineker can do whatever he wants. 'Staff are really resentful at how much he is protected,' a source told The Times.
'He literally has carte blanche. The BBC response is to turn a blind eye. They won't even say whether they will speak to him.'
This is Lineker wearing the pale green T-shirt during the BBC's England v Serbia coverage that looks identical to a Next top he advertises on the clothing company's website
He is alleged to have broken BBC guidelines by appearing to wear his own range of Next menswear while live on-air during England's opening Euro's game. He is pictured modelling it here
Lineker has also angered viewers with one sarcastically asking if he will be eating crisps next in a nod to him famously once being the face of Walkers.
Others accused the BBC of being too weak and saying it probably won't punish their £1.35million-a-year star.
Lineker often sports a casual look when he presents Match of the Day opting for dark-coloured open-collared shirts, but he has rarely been seen wearing T-shirts live on air before.
The former England striker usually goes for a more formal look of a full suit and tie when presenting finals, such as when Manchester United faced Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May.
Lineker has previously spoken about not being able to wear green and white clothing while presenting MOTD as 'the cameras can't cope' due to the studio's green screen background.
But the broadcaster's wardrobe has been set loose during the corporation's Euro 2024 coverage with a windowed studio being set up in Berlin near the city's iconic Brandenburg Gate.
MailOnline has contacted Lineker's representatives for comment. Lineker launched his clothing line with the high street retailer in 2023 and models for the range online.
BBC rules stipulate that presenters should declare any deals or endorsements to promote clothing.
MailOnline understands BBC Sports presenters wear their own clothes and are regularly reminded of the broadcaster's guidelines.
Speaking to The Guardian in April last year, Lineker said he always wears his own clothes when presenting MOTD with the only directive being 'to go for casual'.
Asked if there was anything he had to avoid wearing, he said: 'Match of the Day is a green screen so it's like a virtual reality show. You can't wear green, you can't wear white, you can't wear patterns. That means it's unbelievably restrictive. The cameras can't cope. You've basically got plain dark colours, or light blue.'
Fans have vented their fury at Lineker appearing to 'flout' the BBC's advertising rules and asked whether 'he would be eating crisps next'
Mr Lineker was sporting a pale green T-shirt and sage jacket which appeared to be from his collection (pictured) with Next
Gary Lineker wearing his green shirt during the build-up to England's Euros opener
Lineker often wears dark-coloured open-collared shirts when presenting MOTD as the 'cameras can't cope' with white and green clothing due to the studio's green screen background
He ramps his outfit up for finals to wear a suit and tie as they are 'big nights' (Lineker pictured at Wembley in May talking to Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag after the Red Devils' FA Cup final win)
Lineker was also in trouble with animal rights activists PETA over the Next collection, after modelling a mohair jacket, which the organisation said is 'made from the hair of abused goats'.
Previously, the Match of the Day Host got into hot water during the 2018 World Cup for promoting a TM Lewin shirt on Instagram that he wore on-air after becoming the face of the clothing brand.
The BBC branded it a 'genuine mistake' after they acknowledged it breached company guidelines.
Mr Lineker told OK! Magazine: 'I've always got my own clothes and I've always dressed myself on television. There's no wardrobe budget at BBC Sport so we all dress ourselves.'
During the 2022 World Cup, fellow presenter Alex Scott was warned by the BBC that she could not promote fashion brands while working for the broadcaster.
Ms Scott, who was an ambassador for Reiss, flaunted the rules after posting a selfie on Instagram, wearing a suit from the brand while in the BBC studio in Qatar.
Other presenters have been told off by the corporation for promoting products, goods and clothing they have used while on-air.
BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker was accused by The Times of wearing and posting about sponsored products while working on programming for the broadcaster including Strictly Come Dancing.
Other 'on-air' talent who have broken the rules include Countryfile's Helen Skelton, The Apprentice's Karren Brady and Top Gear's Paddy McGuiness.
Lineker has a long history of controversy - most of which involve criticism over allegedly breaching the BBC's social media guidelines.
In January this year, he reposted a statement from a pro-Palestinian campaign calling for Israel to be removed from all global tournaments 'until it ends its grave violations of international law' in relation to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
A month prior, the Match of the Day host was among a group of celebrities to sign a letter calling for the government to axe its Rwanda scheme.
He subsequently became embroiled in a war of words with Grant Shapps - who had claimed he 'should stick to football and stop meddling in other matters'.
Alex Scott was given a telling off by the BBC after she promoted a clothes brand while on duty for the broadcaster during the World Cup in 2022
Lineker has a long history of own goals and gaffes - most of which involve playing with fire when it comes to breaching the BBC's social media guidelines
The presenter wrote alongside the photo: 'A tad rich coming from someone who can't even stick to one name. 4 chaps Shapps'.
Mr Shapps' use of various alter egos has previously attracted media commentary.
Lineker also hits back at Tory chairman '30p Lee' Anderson who had said the British people wanted to 'stop the boats and tell overpaid crisp salesmen to put a sock in it'.
In March last year, the former England footballer shared a video of then Home Secretary Suella Braverman announcing details of her new Illegal Migration Bill with the comment, 'Good heavens, this is beyond awful'.
He also tweeted that the measures were 'immeasurably cruel'. When another user accused him of being 'out of order', the former England footballer responded: 'There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
'This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I'm out of order?'
Lineker was embroiled in a row with a senior BBC journalist following his tweet about sewage in 2022 (pictured)
Lineker appeared to show his support for Just Stop Oil protesters in July 2022 following their demonstration at Silverstone Grand Prix, which saw some activists storming the track
In February last year, he appeared to mock Rishi Sunak's landmark EU deal over Northern Ireland, while he also shared a video calling for illegal immigrants arriving on small boats to be granted citizenship - and blamed Brexit for delays at the airport.
In January last year, he retweeted a post calling Ms Braverman utterly devoid of sensibility' after her exchange with a Holocaust survivor.
And in 2022, he criticised the Tories and former PM Liz Truss, sparked a row about pumping sewage into the sea, and defended Just Stop Oil protesters who stormed the British Grand Prix.
Lineker's outbursts date back a long way, including in 2016 when he tweeted: 'The treatment by some towards these young refugees is hideously racist.'
Following the backlash, Mr Lineker tweeted: 'Getting a bit of a spanking today, but things could be worse – imagine, just for a second, being a refugee having to flee from your home.'
When someone replied saying they hoped he would lose his job because he 'deserved it', Lineker hit back, saying: 'I won't'.
Two years later, he appeared to slam the Tories again, who at the time were holding a no-confidence vote in former PM Theresa May.
'Extraordinary to watch us take our country back and rip it to shreds in the process,' he wrote in one tweet, before later retweeting David Cameron's calls for the Conservatives to back Mrs May, which Lineker shared with crying-with-laughter emojis.
It sparked fellow BBC Sport broadcaster Jonathan Agnew to say he would 'be sacked' if he followed Lineker's example on social media.
