Gary Lineker ‘breaks BBC rules AGAIN’ after showing off his Next clothing range while hosting England Euro 2024 coverage
GARY Lineker has been accused of breaking BBC rules again – this time while hosting Euro coverage.
The broadcaster appeared to be wearing his own Next clothing range while presenting the England vs Serbia game on Sunday night.
Lineker launched his own line with the retailer in 2023, and is snapped modeling his own clothes online.
On Sunday he donned a pale green T-shirt and sage jacket which appeared to come from the collection – which retail at £16 and £55 – while live on air.
Social media quickly became overwhelmed with comments on what Lineker was wearing.
One person on Twitter claimed this was a breach of the Beeb’s rules.
They wrote: “Gary Lineker has again been caught breaking BBC rules by wearing clothes that he’s paid to promote.”
Beeb guidelines rule broadcasters aren’t allowed to sport attire they’re promoting – or being paid to wear.
It states: “Presenters or other individuals must 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.”
It also says presenters should declare any deals or endorsements to promote clothing.
But Lineker has argued in the past that he’s a freelancer, not a contracted employee, and says that he’s not breaking the impartiality rules.
The BBC said it would not comment on individuals, but a spokesman told The Telegraph: “Presenters/contributors provide their own wardrobe, and all presenters/contributors are regularly reminded of the guidelines in relation to clothing, even if they are not doing proactive promotional work.”
The Sun has contacted the BBC and reps for Lineker for comment.
This isn’t the first time the broadcaster has run into issues with clothing.
During the World Cup in 2018, the Match of the Day host promoted 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.
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.”
This isn’t the first time the host has run into issues with the Beeb.
Lineker first sparked an impartiality row in March last year after saying the Government rhetoric on immigration was similar to that of 1930s Germany.
Gary Lineker has again been caught breaking BBC rules by wearing clothes that he’s paid to promote.
Then, in September, it was revealed that he would be one a handful of stars reigned in by new impartiality guidelines.
It came after a row about the Match of the Day host’s political posts on social media.
The guidance applies to presenters who have “a particular responsibility to respect the corporation’s impartiality, because of their profile on the BBC”.
It stated that while a programme is on air, and for two weeks before and after the series, the hosts must not endorse or attack a political party, criticise the character of politicians, or comment on any issue of political debate during an election period.
Then, just three months later, Lineker came under fire again.
The BBC’s incoming chairman said that the presenter’s tweets slamming Tory MPs “seem to breach” the corporation’s social media rules.
New boss Samir Shah said he did not think it was “helpful” that Lineker had signed a letter calling for the Government to scrap its Rwanda scheme.
Former England footballer turned pundit Lineker was among a group of celebrities urging ministers to scrap their Rwanda scheme and come up with a “fair new plan for refugees”.
Then, in January, Lineker was slammed as “ignorant” after sharing a tweet calling to ban Israel from world football.
The Match Of The Day presenter reposted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, from a pro-Palestinian campaign calling for Israel to be ousted from global tournaments and games “until it ends its grave violations of international law”.
Lineker's run-ins with the Beeb
Lineker sparked an impartiality row in March 2023 after saying the Government rhetoric on immigration was similar to that of 1930s Germany.
But after a review, BBC bosses decided to allow its top stars to share their own views on social media and only ruled they should stop short of political campaigning.
Then, in December the same year, the former England footballer turned pundit Lineker was among a group of celebrities urging ministers to scrap their Rwanda scheme and come up with a “fair new plan for refugees”.
Samir Shah, the BBC’s new chairman, said Lineker appeared to breach social media guidelines when he used X to apparently mock Tory MPs after signing an open letter criticising the policy.
But Tory MPs hit back with Cabinet Minister Grant Shapps saying that Lineker should stick to presenting football.
In Janurary this year, he sparked another BBC row and was slammed as “ignorant” after sharing a tweet calling to ban Israel from world football.
The Match Of The Day presenter reposted a statement on X, formerly Twitter, from a pro-Palestinian campaign calling for Israel to be ousted from global tournaments and games “until it ends its grave violations of international law”.
However, the original tweet seems to no longer appear on the former England star’s account.
Lineker, 63, reposted the tweet from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel.
It included a statement from the Palestinian Football Association which called upon Fifa and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to join all regional and global sporting bodies in sanctioning Israel.
The statement demanded that they “take an urgent stance towards Israel’s grave violations of human rights and subject it to legal accountability measures”.
The post went on to demand that the public and officials pressure organisations “to suspend Israel’s membership and ban it from international tournaments and games until it ends its grave violations of international law, particularly its apartheid rule and the crime of genocide it is perpetuating in Gaza”.
But MPs demanded that the BBC intervenes to sanction its highest-paid presenter with some slamming the repost as “ignorant”.