Gary Lineker has responded to criticism after he sparked anger by sharing an Instagram video containing what critics have called an "antisemitic" rat emoji.
The outgoing Match of the Day presenter shared a video from the campaign group Palestine Lobby earlier this week.
The post featured a cartoon image of a rat alongside a video in which Canadian-Palestinian lawyer Diana Buttu criticised Israel's war in Gaza.
A spokesman for Lineker has now said that the presenter was unaware of the severity of his actions.
Gary Lineker has sparked fresh controversy after sharing an Instagram video containing what critics have called an "antisemitic" rat emoji, with the 64-year-old pleading ignorance on the matter
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They said: "Whilst viewing and reposting a video, Gary did not notice a rodent emoticon added by the author of the post."
The spokesman added that Lineker "immediately deleted the video after learning of the symbolic meaning".
The post, which was later deleted, has prompted furious calls for the BBC to sack Lineker.
Jewish groups have expressed outrage over the imagery, as rats were historically used by Nazi Germany as a slur against Jews.
The charity Campaign Against Antisemitism immediately took issue with the post on social media.
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Gary Lineker has deleted a controversial post about Israel on Instagram
INSTAGRAMWith Lineker set to leave Match of the Day at the end of this month, critics are urging the BBC to terminate his contract immediately rather than allowing him to continue presenting FA Cup and international football until next summer.
Rats were prominently used in Nazi propaganda to dehumanise Jewish people throughout the 20th century.
In Der Stürmer, an influential Nazi propaganda paper, a cover image depicted the gassing of Jewish rats around a tree.
The accompanying headline read: "When the vermin are dead the German oak will flourish once more."
This historical context makes the use of rat imagery particularly sensitive when discussing Israel or Zionism.
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The Campaign Against Antisemitism noted the video "deliberately misrepresents Zionism - the belief that Jews have the same right to self-determination as everyone else".
Jewish organisations have also strongly condemned Lineker's post.
A spokesperson for the Board of Deputies of British Jews said: "The BBC has allowed the situation with Gary Lineker to continue for far too long. He has caused great offence with this video particularly with [its] egregious use of a rat emoji to illustrate Zionists."
Danny Cohen, former director of BBC television, told the newspaper "Gary Lineker appears to have shared content about the Jewish state which echoes Nazi propaganda. This is utterly grim."
Cohen directly challenged BBC leadership: "The BBC's director general Tim Davie has a simple question to answer: does he tolerate the BBC's flagship presenters sharing content that has historically been used as an antisemitic slur?"
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Critics are demanding the BBC take immediate action rather than allowing Lineker to leave on his own terms.
Former Labour MP Lord Austin said: "For too long Gary Lineker has been flagrantly abusing his position as the best-paid presenter at the BBC to promote his deeply biased views. Now he has gone too far."
He added: "The BBC must act now."
Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Antisemitism, said: "Sharing content that uses a rat to demonise the very idea of a Jewish nation state draws directly from Nazi propaganda."
Hearn concluded: "It's time for Lineker to go."
Gary Lineker is set to leave Match of the Day at the end of the season
PAThis is not Lineker's first controversy regarding Israel. In January 2024, he removed a social media post calling for Israel to be banned from international football after misunderstanding the message.
In 2023, Lineker was suspended by the BBC after comparing language used by the then-Conservative government to "that used by Germany in the 30s."
That incident triggered a mass walkout of BBC Sport staff.
In a recent interview with the BBC's Amol Rajan, Lineker defended expressing opinions on Gaza, saying: "It's more important than the BBC. What's going on there is the mass murder of thousands of children."
