Gary Lineker surprisingly appeared on ITV. (Image: ITV)
Gary Lineker delivered a blunt response to the BBC after making an appearance on ITV’s World Cup coverage, cheekily telling Micah Richards to ‘f*** off’ after being branded a ‘traitor’. The former England striker, who spent more than two decades with the BBC, joined the broadcaster’s main rival for a guest slot on Saturday ahead of Germany’s encounter with Ivory Coast.
Lineker wasted no time in taking a swipe at his former employer, declaring that ITV was ‘absolutely amazing’ compared to the BBC‘s remote arrangement, following his contentious exit from the corporation last year. The ex-Match of the Day host has been covering the tournament from New York, where he has been presenting daily episodes of The Rest Is Football for Netflix.
Lineker had originally planned to maintain his role in the BBC’s World Cup programming after leaving Match of the Day, but it was revealed in May last year that he would be cutting all connections with the organisation.
As ITV began their live broadcast on Saturday evening, Lineker quipped: “Thank you for joining us on ITV for this one, another day, another game, another channel.”
Presenter Laura Woods quickly interjected: “Woah, woah, woah Gary that’s my job,” to which Lineker replied: “Sorry, sorry, old habits Laura, old habits.”
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The ITV appearance attracted considerable attention from viewers who were thrilled to see Lineker back on their screens talking football, despite it being a fleeting cameo. Now, on his own Netflix programme, Lineker and Micah Richards poked fun at his stint as an ITV pundit.
Richards, mimicking Lineker’s appearance on ITV, introduced the podcast by saying: “Hello and welcome to the Rest Is Football with me Micah Richards.”
Lineker swiftly cut across his fellow co-host, saying “Woah, woah, woah, woah. Micah that’s my job,” prompting laughter from the duo.
Gary Lineker received backlash for joining the ITV broadcast. (Image: ITV Sport)
“It’s not nice is it?” Richards said, appearing on a TV monitor. “Absolute traitor you are. 26 years of blood, sweat and tears to the BBC then you go over to the rival.”
Lineker responds: “Hang on a minute Micah. Shut the f*** up (before turning the TV off Richards was appearing on). I’ll do it properly now.”
When Richards rejoined the programme, he quizzed Lineker about his ITV outing. The former England striker explained, with a wry smile on his face: “I was making an appearance to promote my show ‘The Box’ which is also on ITV in September.
“And also I wanted to go and have a little look at the studio. I also wanted to go and promote our Netflix show which I got two mentions in for. It was just for purely professional reasons Micah.”
Richards was unconvinced, firing back: “Professional reasons? Come on Gaz. You’re better than that.”
“Says the person that works for pretty much every television channel known to man,” Lineker quipped back.
The duo continued their good-natured exchange, with Lineker filming a behind-the-scenes blog. During the segment, he said: “Whatever you read isn’t necessarily true, I’m not a pundit for the whole tournament because I’ve got a Netflix show everyday.”
Several pointed jibes were directed at the BBC, with Lineker insisting he could “confirm it’s real” before enjoying a head massage which you “don’t get this at the BBC.”
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