GARY Lineker says the BBC has “lost their way” when it comes to impartiality in his first interview since he left Match Of The Day following an anti-semitism row.
And in a talk at Glastonbury festival, he revealed that the Corporation had announced his exit before even making him aware of their decision.
Lineker was ousted from his position on the football show following criticism when he shared a social media post about Zionism, for which he later apologised.
Gary, 64, said: “The impartiality issue has become a massive problem that I think they’ve probably created themselves by the rules that have been set within the business.
“I understand in your news and current affairs they have to be generally impartial but, I mean, it is hot today right? I think we can all say that we don’t need someone to come in to tell us it’s actually not hot.
“We just need to know the truth.
“I think they’ve lost their way a little bit with that and there’s a degree of impartiality at the very top of the BBC.
“There are thousands of amazing people at the BBC but it’s not reflected at the top.
“They’ve tried themselves up in knots with it.”
Gary had intended to leave the flagship show after this summer’s World Cup but instead hosted his last Match of the Day on June 26.
Admitting his upset at his ill-judged post, which Gary says “gave people ammunition to shoot me,” he added: “I had a little group chat back then, particularly with Ian Wright and Alan Shearer.
“I said, I’ve got a feeling they’re going to take me off air on Saturday and Ian Wright immediately said ‘if they do that I’m going to go’.
“So the next day they announced I wasn’t doing the show.
“They actually announced it without telling me first.
“I just thought what’s the point of having a big platform if you don’t use it to kind of push beliefs that you believe to be right.”
But he later shared: “I love the BBC. I always will and I’m not bitter or twisted about anything that happened.”
He also showed his support for political hip hop trio Kneecap and said at the end of his talk at Glastonbury: “Free Palestine.”
Gary Lineker, pictured with Zara Sultana, says the BBC has ‘lost their way’ when it comes to impartiality Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
