Gary Lineker has reportedly been barred from delivering a tribute to a famous football writer because of his controversial social media activity.
The son of legendary football writer Brian Glanville, who died last month aged 93, has accused the former Match of the Day host of “really crossing a line,” after he shared a post about Zionism that contained the antisemitic trope of a rat.
Mark Glanville, 66, whose late father Brian was an award-winning football correspondent for The Sunday Times, attacked Lineker in an interview with Jewish News for “giving ammunition to people who are antisemites”.
Lineker, a long-time friend of the family, may not attend the memorial, though it is not clear if he was expected to do so before the prohibition, according to reports.
English footballer writer and author Brian Glanville, UK, 9th November 1964. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)Getty Images
Mark’s sister Jo had suggested Lineker speak at the memorial service at St Bride’s Church on Fleet Street because he had been friends with Brian since the early days of Lineker’s football career, The Mail on Sunday reported.
But he told The Sunday Times: “I can’t have somebody coming to speak at my dad’s memorial service who, though not antisemitic, is someone who is giving ammunition to people who are antisemites.
"Once you share a picture of a rat which is associated with Nazis, you really are crossing a line.”
Lineker shared a video on social media condemning Zionism that included a picture of a rat – an antisemitic trope used in Nazi propaganda.
The video, titled “Zionism explained in two minutes,” was originally posted by Palestine Lobby. After provoking outrage, Lineker, 64, deleted the clip and apologised “unreservedly”.
He said he was not antisemitic and would “never, ever have shared” the post if he had seen the picture of the rat.
The fallout from the football pundit's social media led him to leave the BBC earlier than planned. Last month the broadcaster announced that he would no longer be part of its coverage of the 2026 World Cup or next season’s FA Cup coverage.
Since leaving the corporation, Lineker has continued to post about the war in Gaza to his 1.2 million Instagram followers.
Glanville said that his father, who was Jewish, would not have wanted Lineker to speak at his memorial service and his father saw Israel as a safe haven for Jews.
“He saw Israel, after all the utter horror, like so many Jews, as a country that was Jewish and where Jews could thrive as Jews and be safe,” he told The Sunday Times.
The JC contacted Lineker’s management for comment.
