Mohamed Salah's episode with Gary Lineker excluded due to Gaza

Press reports revealed that the BBC decided to cancel a scheduled interview between presenter Gary Lineker and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, prior to the broadcast of the final episode of Lineker's program "Match of the Day."

Episode cancelled due to Gaza According to the British newspaper "The Sun," the decision to cancel came from Alex Kay, the BBC's director of sports, amid concerns that the conversation would touch on the situation in Gaza, especially since both Salah and Lineker had previously expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians.

The interview was scheduled to air across various BBC platforms, including Football Focus, the official website, and social media, during Lineker's final weekend on the BBC's most popular show in English football history.

The interview is a farewell to Lineker after 26 years. A source told The Sun newspaper: “This interview was supposed to be a special farewell moment for Lineker after 26 years of work, but it was suddenly canceled. The reason is the fear of discussing Gaza, especially since both parties hold public positions on the issue.”

Gary Lineker's departure Lineker announced his departure from the BBC after coming under increasing pressure over a controversial Instagram post that was described as containing anti-Semitic symbols. This led to two public apologies before an agreement was reached for his departure.

For its part, the BBC denied that the cancellation was related to the content of the interview, stating: “The interview was canceled because it was due to air after Gary Lineker’s final episode of Match of the Day, and there are no other reasons behind the decision.”

However, internal sources stressed that the timing of the cancellation and the reservations surrounding it reflect a fear of opening a new avenue of criticism at a time when the institution is still trying to contain previous media pressure.