Former The One Show presenter Jermaine Jenas has broken his online silence amid speculation about Gary Lineker’s future at the BBC.
The BBC said on Thursday night that it has not yet agreed a contract renewal with Match of the Day host Lineker The corporation denied an announcement was pending regarding its highest-paid star, who it said is under contract until the end of the football season.
Prior to his dismissal from the BBC following an internal investigation into his workplace conduct, Jenas had been one of the favourites to replace Lineker on the Match of the Day couch when the time comes. However, Jenas was let go from his BBC gigs in August following complaints of inappropriate messages to female co-workers.
Lineker has spoken out on the recent scandal involving Jenas, dismissing claims from a story that suggested he had “taken a real interest” amid speculation he might be replaced by Jenas on Match of the Day. Venting on The Rest is Football podcast, the Leicester City icon criticised a newspaper for its front-page narrative.
“There was one last week,” he said. “That was totally ridiculous… a front page story about Jermaine Jenas, who has obviously had his issues of late, the front page story was saying, ‘I’d taken a real interest’ in this story because possibly Jermaine might take my place.” Lineker outrightly dismissed the ‘absurd’ story, stating: “It was so absurd, and I think it’s so absurd that you wouldn’t take it seriously.”
And now, as rumours swirl about Lineker’s future on the show, Jenas has broken his online silence. The dad-of-four, who some think could be set for a BBC return should Lineker quit Match of the Day, took to his Instagram Stories on Friday morning as he enjoyed a wholesome day out at a farm with one of his sons.
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“If you rob the bag me and you are going to have a problem,” Jenas tells a goat in one of the clips shared with his 201,000 followers. The goat didn’t listen to Jenas’ warning and proceeded to nab all the feed. “Yo I can see you,” Jenas fumed as the hungry animal pulled the bag from his hands. “These little chiefs. He’s a greedy one. I’m not giving him anymore.”
Jermaine Jenas was a popular figure with BBC Sport bosses (
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Getty Images)
Gary Lineker is yet to confirm his future on Match of the Day beyond the 24/25 season (
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WireImage)
MailOnline reported earlier this week that it had seen an email purportedly from BBC bosses preparing to announce the 63-year-old Lineker’s departure from the broadcaster after 25 years. The website said it had been unable to verify the authenticity of the email. “We have nothing to announce, and we have not agreed next steps with regard to his contract,” a spokesperson for the BBC said. “He is under contract until the end of the season.” The football season will end after the Champions League final at the end of May next year.
Match Of The Day is one of the BBC’s longest-running shows, having been on air since 1964. Former England footballer Lineker took over the flagship football highlights show in 1999 after predecessor Des Lynam joined ITV. Lineker has been the BBC’s highest paid on-air talent for seven consecutive years and the only star to earn more than £1 million in the year 2023/24 according to the corporation’s annual report published in July.
He was taken off air by the BBC last year having compared the language used to launch a government asylum seeker policy to 1930s Germany. The incident sparked a backlash and resulted in a number of his fellow pundits, including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, boycotting Match Of The Day over his absence from the show. Lineker later returned to the programme but new BBC social media rules have since banned flagship presenters from making attacks on political parties.
