BBC 'decide Gary Lineker replacement for World Cup final' as Gabby Logan learns fate

The BBC has confirmed Gary Lineker's replacement for the World Cup final, with Mark Chapman and Alex Scott both overlooked for the role. Lineker will not be in the BBC studio for this summer's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He departed the broadcaster last summer following a controversial Instagram post, for which he subsequently apologised. Instead, Lineker will be covering the World Cup through his podcast, The Rest Is Football, having secured a lucrative agreement with Netflix to stream it throughout the tournament.

He will be succeeded as the BBC's lead presenter by Gabby Logan, who is scheduled to front live coverage of the World Cup final ahead of Match of the Day regular Chapman and departing Football Focus host Scott. According to the Daily Mail, Logan will also present the BBC's opening match of the World Cup and England's group stage fixture against Ghana. When she fronts live coverage of the final, the 53-year-old will make history as the first female BBC anchor to present the biggest fixture in world football. Chapman is understood to be unavailable because he will be covering The Open on Sky Sports, which concludes on the same day as the final.

The report suggests that those who have missed out have been given assurances they will receive equivalent opportunities in future broadcasts, with everyone understood to be comfortable with the arrangement. Lineker had originally been lined up for the main presenting role at the World Cup, having agreed a one-year contract extension with the BBC to carry him through the current football season.

Yet the former England striker suddenly withdrew from his duties last summer amid an antisemitism controversy, which erupted following a post on social media. He shared a video concerning Zionism which included an image of a rat, which has historically been employed as a derogatory symbol recalling language used by Nazi Germany about Jewish people.

In a statement, Lineker apologised for the post and stressed that he would never knowingly share offensive content targeting a specific group of people. He said: "On Instagram I reposted material which I have since learned contained offensive references. I very much regret these references. I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic.

It goes against everything I believe in."