Gary Lineker could face a police investigation over the anti-Semitic Instagram post that led to his departure from the BBC, according to the Telegraph.
Scotland Yard officers have visited at least one complainant who reported suffering significant distress over the social media post from last week.
The former England striker shared a pro-Palestine video on his Instagram story that included a rat emoji, which has been historically used as an offensive symbol against Jewish people.
The controversy has culminated in Lineker's early exit from the corporation, with this Sunday's Match of the Day set to be his final BBC appearance.
Gary Lineker is facing a potential police investigation into his social media posts
PA/Instagram
The Metropolitan Police confirmed they have received "a number of reports from members of the public" relating to the post published on social media on Monday, 12 May.
These reports will now be assessed to determine what further action might be required.
A Metropolitan Police statement clarified: "There is currently no police investigation into this matter."
When asked whether officers had spoken to Lineker about the post, Scotland Yard declined to provide a "running commentary" on the situation.
It remains unclear exactly how any law might have been broken by Lineker, who deleted the post shortly after publishing it.
No decision has been made yet on whether a formal police investigation will be launched into Lineker's social media activity.
However, officers have suggested to one family that a crime reference number will be issued.
The authorities may be considering whether the post amounted to a non-crime hate incident (NCHI), where records are kept for speech that is perceived to demonstrate hostility.
Pressure mounted within the BBC following Lineker's sharing of the pro-Palestine video.
The situation intensified on Thursday when Telegraph Sport published an interview in which Lineker made further comments about Israel and criticised his BBC boss.
Lineker has claimed he was unaware of the rat emoji's historically offensive symbolism when he shared the post.
Gary Lineker caused fury when he posted an anti-Semitic post on his social media channelsPAThe emoji has well-documented connections to Nazi propaganda, which portrayed Jewish people as rats to dehumanise them.
Police were specifically contacted last Wednesday about the rat emoji included in Lineker's post.
The former footballer has since apologised twice for sharing the content. In a recorded statement announcing his early departure from the BBC, Lineker said: "I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic it goes against everything I stand for."
He added: "However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am."
Lineker's departure was confirmed on Monday, with the BBC announcing that this Sunday's Match of the Day will be his final appearance for the broadcaster.
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The controversy has raised questions about the BBC's handling of the situation.
Alex Hearn, of Labour Against Anti-Semitism, has expressed fresh concern about the BBC allowing Lineker to host one final Match of the Day despite the controversy.
"While Gary Lineker faces a potential police investigation for sharing a racist post with his 1.2 million followers, the BBC have sent a clear message on the subject," Hearn told Telegraph Sport.
"They allowed Lineker to host the prestigious FA Cup final, host his last show the week after and leave on his own terms to a fanfare. Their message has been received: the BBC don't care about racism when it's aimed at Jews."
