Gary Lineker is reportedly set to leave the BBC early and not present the World Cup after his Zionism Instagram post was at the centre of an antisemitism backlash. The Match Of The Day star, 64, ‘unreservedly apologised’ last week after sharing a post containing antisemitic imagery.

Gary Lineker, the former England soccer player and now a media celebrity, will step down from his role as a presenter for the BBC after facing criticism for reposting an Instagram story about Zionism which featured a picture of a rat.

Gary Lineker has deleted an Instagram story post he shared from the group Palestine Lobby, which said: "Zionism explained in two minutes" and featured an illustration of a rat. A rat has historically been used as an antisemitic insult, referring to language used by Nazi Germany to characterise Jews.