Former England striker Gary Lineker has been barred from speaking at the memorial service for renowned Jewish football writer Brian Glanville.
The decision was made by Glanville's son Mark, who cited concerns over Lineker's social media posts about Israel.
The Match of the Day presenter, who recently announced his departure from the programme, had been friends with Glanville since his Leicester City days.
However, Mark Glanville declared: "I am not having Lineker anywhere near Dad's memorial."
Gary Lineker has been barred from speaking at a friend's memorial service after anti-Semitic post
PA
The exclusion stems from Lineker's sharing of an anti-Zionism post featuring a rat illustration, imagery historically used by the Nazis to characterise Jewish people.
Mark Glanville explained his position clearly: "I can't have somebody coming to speak at my Dad's memorial service who, though not anti-Semitic, is someone who is giving ammunition to people who are anti-Semites."
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He emphasised the significance of the rat imagery, stating: "Once you share a picture of a rat which is associated with Nazis, you really are crossing a line."
Despite acknowledging that Lineker is not anti-Semitic, Mark believes the former footballer's posts provide fuel to those with more sinister agendas.
He noted that his father, who died last month after suffering from Parkinson's Disease, would not have wanted Lineker to speak.
Brian Glanville, who died aged 93, was deeply affected by the Holocaust and passionate about Israel's existence as a safe haven for Jewish people.
Born in 1931, he experienced anti-Semitic abuse during his time at Charterhouse School.
His son Mark explained: "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."
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Gary Lineker apologised for his social media posts PAThe celebrated reporter worked as football correspondent for The Sunday Times for 30 years and authored several novels.
His Jewish identity and wartime experiences shaped his worldview throughout his distinguished career.
Mark Glanville criticised Lineker for singling out Israel "almost exclusively" whilst ignoring conflicts in Syria, Sudan and Afghanistan.
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The memorial service at St Bride's Church in Fleet Street had been suggested by Mark's sister Jo, who noted Lineker's admiration for their father's work.
Mark firmly rejected the proposal, explaining: "I said that while this was undoubtedly the case, loads of other people were admirers of Dad's work as well. I then said there was no way Lineker was coming anywhere near it."
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