Is this the final straw? The five times Gary Lineker put his 'woke' foot in it as anti-Semitism row explodes

Lineker has, once again, found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. This time, the former England striker has shared a controversial post on Instagram that contained offensive references to Zionism - including an image of a rat.

He has apologised and the BBC, as expected, aren't planning to wield the axe. So, as pressure mounts on the broadcaster to relieve Lineker of his duties, here are five times the veteran presenter has put his foot in it.

Latest Instagram storm

"I take full responsibility for this mistake. That image does not reflect my views," said Lineker after the Zionism storm.

The problem is, however, that his failure to think before reposting has done significant damage. The Jewish community, in particular, have every right to be aggrieved.

The BBC's Jewish staff are angry and unhappy that he will still be allowed to work for the broadcaster until after the 2026 World Cup, which is due to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Lineker has already questioned the broadcaster being impartial on such matters such as the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine in Gaza.

The football presenter himself, it seems, won't toe the line when it comes to that sensitive subject.

1930s comparison

Back in 2023, Lineker found himself embroiled in controversy after comparing the Conservative Government's language about their asylum policy to Germany in the 1930s.

He put out a tweet that said it was 'not too dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s."

Lineker, after his controversial post, was stood down on Match of the Day. He was swiftly reinstated, however, after BBC staff - including pundits on the popular football show - threatened a boycott as a show of solidarity.

The BBC reminded the 64-year-old about their impartiality guidelines but he never really showed any remorse.

Home Secretary at the time, Suella Braverman, said she was 'disappointed' with his comments. Luckily for the former footballer, he was allowed to keep his job - and his huge £1.3million salary.

Questioning the word 'woke'

The world is getting woker. That's abundantly clear.

But not in Lineker's eyes. Again in 2023, after being named on a Daily Mail 'woke' list, he showed his naivety by questioning whether it's an insult.

“I would ask you, what is ‘woke’? Is it a bad thing? Is it just referring to people who have some kind of social conscience?” he said.

“I don’t necessarily find being called woke an insult. So, it’s a strange one.

"But if you keep putting it out there that ‘woke is bad, woke is bad’, people will eventually believe that it is, whatever ‘woke’ may be.”

Qatar World Cup storm

Prior to the 2022 World Cup, Lineker blasted Foreign Secretary James Cleverly after he said fans should be 'respectful' of Qatar.

Homosexuality is illegal in the Middle East and has been for years.

But Lineker put his foot in it by saying: “Whatever you do, don’t do anything Gay. Is that the message?”

The irony was that, when it came to the tournament starting, Lineker had no problem presenting it. It's a funny old world.

In August 2022, BBC journalist Neil Henderson asked if Lineker had a contract which allowed him to breach the Beeb's impartiality rules.

This came after he tweeted about sewage being pumped into the sea.

The presenter had posted: “As a politician how could you ever, under any circumstances, bring yourself to vote for pumping sewage into our seas? Unfathomable!”

Again, however, Lineker showed a blatant disregard for his employer's rules.

This list could be updated in the future, if the past is anything to go by.