The BBC has announced Gabby Logan will replace Gary Lineker as the lead presenter for the World Cup final, with Mark Chapman and Alex Scott being overlooked for the prestigious role. Lineker, who departed the broadcaster last summer following a controversial Instagram post for which he later apologised, will not be in the BBC studio for this summer’s tournament across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Instead, Lineker will cover the World Cup through his podcast, “The Rest Is Football,” having secured a lucrative agreement with Netflix to stream it throughout the tournament. Gabby Logan is set to succeed him as the BBC’s lead presenter, scheduled to front live coverage of the World Cup final, ahead of “Match of the Day” regular Chapman and departing “Football Focus” host Scott.
According to the Daily Mail, Logan will also present the BBC’s opening match of the World Cup and England’s group stage fixture against Ghana. When she fronts live coverage of the final, the 53-year-old will make history as the first female BBC anchor to present the biggest fixture in world football.
Chapman is reportedly unavailable due to his commitment to covering The Open on Sky Sports, which concludes on the same day as the final. Reports suggest that those who missed out on the final presenting role have been assured equivalent opportunities in future broadcasts, with all parties reportedly comfortable with the arrangement.
Lineker had initially been slated for the main presenting role at the World Cup, having agreed to a one-year contract extension with the BBC to cover the current football season. However, the former England striker abruptly withdrew from his duties last summer amidst an antisemitism controversy. This erupted following a social media post where he shared a video concerning Zionism that included an image of a rat, a symbol historically employed as a derogatory reference recalling language used by Nazi Germany about Jewish people.
In a statement, Lineker apologised for the post and emphasised that he would never knowingly share offensive content targeting a specific group of people. He stated: “On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.”
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