Gary Lineker is alleged to have breached BBC guidelines by wearing his own range of Next menswear while live-streaming England’s opening Euro match.
Lineker wore a pale green t-shirt and sage jacket from his collection with Next as he presented coverage of the England vs Serbia match on Sunday night.
The broadcaster launched its clothing line with the high street retailer in 2023 and models for the online range.
BBC guidelines state that presenters must not “appear on air wearing clothing or using products or services that they have agreed or contracted to promote, advertise or endorse or in which they have a specific financial interest.”
The green shirt and jacket combination in question is modeled by Mr Lineker on Next’s online store and sells for £16 and £55.
Gary Lineker is alleged to have breached BBC guidelines by wearing his own Next menswear range while live-streaming England’s opening Euro match. He is pictured modeling it here.
This is Lineker wearing the Next shirt during coverage of England’s match against Serbia on the BBC.
BBC rules stipulate that presenters must declare any agreements or sponsorships to promote clothing.
Lineker also got into trouble with animal rights activists PETA over the collection, after modeling a mohair jacket, which the organization says is “made from the hair of abused goats.”
Previously, the Match of the Day presenter got into trouble during the 2018 World Cup for promoting a TM Lewin shirt on Instagram which he wore on air after becoming the face of the clothing brand.
The BBC called it a “genuine error” after acknowledging that it breached company guidelines.
Mr. Lineker said OK! Magazine: ‘I’ve always had my own clothes and I’ve always dressed on television. At BBC Sport there is no budget for costumes, so we all dress ourselves.
During the 2022 World Cup, the BBC warned fellow presenter Alex Scott that she could not promote fashion brands while working for the broadcaster.
Scott, who is a former Reiss ambassador, flaunted the rules after posting a selfie on Instagram, wearing a suit from the brand while in the BBC studio in Qatar.
Lineker sported a pale green t-shirt and sage jacket from his collection (pictured) with Next as he presented coverage of the England vs Serbia match on Sunday night.
Gary Lineker in his green Next shirt during the build-up to England’s first Euro Cup match
The corporation has reprimanded other hosts for promoting products, goods and clothing they have worn while on the air.
BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker was accused by The Times of using 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.
The BBC said it would not comment on individuals, but a spokesman said The Telegraph: ‘Presenters/contributors provide their own wardrobe, and all presenters/contributors are regularly reminded of clothing guidelines, even if they are not doing proactive promotional work.’
Lineker has a long history of own goals and blunders, most of which involve playing with fire when it comes to breaching the BBC’s social media guidelines.
In January this year, he reissued a statement from a pro-Palestinian campaign calling for Israel to be withdrawn from all world tournaments “until it ends its serious violations of international law” in relation to the ongoing conflict in Middle East. East.
A month earlier, the Match of the Day host was among a group of celebrities who signed a letter calling on the government to scrap its Rwanda plan.
He subsequently became embroiled in a war of words with Grant Shapps, who had claimed that he “should stick to football and stop meddling in other matters.”
Lineker has a long history of own goals and blunders, 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 doesn’t even know how to stick to a name. 4 Shapps’ chapters.
Shapps’s use of various alter egos has previously attracted media comment.
Lineker also responds to Tory chairman ’30p Lee’ Anderson, who had said the British people wanted to “stop ships and tell overpaid chip sellers 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 immigration bill with the comment: “My God, this is beyond horrible.”
He also tweeted that the measures were “immeasurably cruel.” When another user accused him of being ‘out of order’, the former English footballer responded: ‘There’s not a big turnout. We accept far fewer refugees than other major European countries.
“This is simply an immensely cruel policy aimed at the most vulnerable people in language no different than that used by Germany in the 1930s, and am I off base?”
Lineker became 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 the Silverstone Grand Prix, which saw some activists storm the track.
In February last year, he appeared to mock Rishi Sunak’s historic deal with the EU on Northern Ireland, while also sharing a video calling for citizenship to be granted to illegal immigrants arriving in small boats, and blaming Brexit for the delays at the airport.
In January last year, he retweeted a post in which he called Ms. Braverman “completely insensitive” after her exchange with a Holocaust survivor.
And in 2022, he criticized the Conservatives and former Prime Minister Liz Truss, sparked a row over pumping sewage into the sea and defended Just Stop Oil protesters who stormed the British Grand Prix.
Lineker’s outbursts go back a long way, including in 2016, when he tweeted: “The treatment of these young refugees by some is appallingly racist.”
Following the backlash, Lineker tweeted: “I got a bit of a beating today, but things could be worse. Imagine, just for a second, being a refugee who has to flee your home.”
When someone responded by saying they hoped he lost his job because he “deserved it,” Lineker responded by saying, “I won’t.”
Two years later, he appeared to again attack the Conservatives, who at the time were holding a no-confidence vote against former Prime Minister Theresa May.
“It’s extraordinary to see us taking our country back and tearing it apart in the process,” he wrote in a tweet, before retweeting David Cameron’s calls for the Conservatives to back Mrs May, which Lineker shared with crying and laughing emojis.
This prompted fellow BBC sports broadcaster Jonathan Agnew to say he would “be fired” if he followed Lineker’s lead on social media.