Football fans are keen for one of Gary Lineker’s colleagues to replace him on Match of the Day, according to a new poll.
The BBC announced in a statement last week that Lineker, 63, will leave the iconic show at the end of the season after almost 26 years at the helm.
Fans are intensely speculating who could replace the England legend in the future, and Lineker is set to begin his long farewell on Match of the Day.
Despite leaving the BBC’s flagship football programme, the former Tottenham, Leicester and Barcelona star has agreed a one-year contract extension with the Beeb to continue presenting their FA Cup and World Cup coverage next campaign.
According to a survey conducted by a market research company IpsosFootball fans would like to see recurring Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer take the reins of the show, with the Newcastle and Blackburn legend taking 22 per cent of the votes.
Mark Chapman, who hosts the show’s sister show Match of the Day 2, was a close second favorite to succeed Lineker among fans, with 20 per cent.
Football fans are eager for one of Gary Lineker’s colleagues to replace him in the day’s match.
Lineker will step down as Match of the Day host at the end of the season after almost 26 years
Alan Shearer is fan favorite to replace Lineker on show, poll says
Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s director of sport, is believed to be interested in taking the show in a different direction and hopes a new presenter can attract a younger audience to the programme.
Several presenters are therefore in the frame to replace Lineker, with Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, Kelly Cates and Kelly Somers all touted as contenders.
Scott is third in the Ipsos poll rankings with 12 percent of the vote, while Logan is fourth with 10 percent.
Shearer first appeared on Match of the Day in 2006 and has appeared regularly on the show since 2009, acting as a pundit alongside Lineker.
The two former England teammates have continued to strengthen their close bond over the years and now collaborate on projects outside the BBC, notably on their football podcast The Rest Is Football alongside Micah Richards.
Richards, who started as a Match of the Day pundit three years ago, got eight per cent of the vote in the Ipsos poll, while former Aston Villa star and Homes Under the Hammer presenter Dion Dublin got the seven percent.
The final four names in the poll (Cates, Jason Mohammed, Kate Abdo and Somers) received three, two, two and one percent of the vote, respectively.
Finally, four percent of voters opted for someone else to replace Lineker in the day’s match, while nine percent did not know who to vote for.
Match of the Day pundit Micah Richards, who joins Lineker and Shearer on The Rest is Football, is another contender for the presenting role and took eight per cent of the votes in the poll.
Alex Scott (above), who is also in the frame, got the third most votes, ahead of Richards in fifth place.
Market research company Ipsos asked fans who they would like to replace Lineker in a new survey
Some avid watchers of the show fear that viewing figures will plummet with a female presenter at the helm.
The BBC’s weekend program Football Focus has become much less popular in terms of viewing figures since Scott became a full-time presenter in 2021.
Sources claimed in October that Scott was left “deeply hurt” by the “lack of support” around Football Focus, unhappy with the broadcaster’s response to the criticism he has faced since the show’s decline.
A secondary part of the Ipsos poll asked fans to vote on whether they preferred a male or female presenter on Match of the Day.
According to the survey, 52 percent of male voters would prefer a man to host the show, while 44 percent have no preference and four percent would favor a woman.
Meanwhile, 41 percent of women opted for a man to run the show, 48 percent voted no preference and nine percent were interested in a woman running the show.
Overall, the survey found that almost half (48 per cent) of football fans would prefer a man replace Lineker, while a similar proportion (45 per cent) say they ultimately don’t care what gender presents the program.
Former Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling this week urged the BBC to be cautious in appointing Lineker’s successor, claiming that catering to a younger audience could have disastrous consequences.
Mark Chapman (right) came in second in the fan poll, while Gabby Logan (left) came in fourth.
Just under half of those surveyed would like to see a male presenter replace Lineker on the day’s match.
Jeff Stelling (above) has urged the BBC to be cautious about appointing Lineker’s successor, claiming that catering to a younger audience could have disastrous consequences.
The former Soccer Saturday presenter, who believes match of the day should be aimed at audiences of all ages, told the Telegraph: ‘Demographics? I have never bought things about a new demographic.
‘It’s a desperate quest to seek out a younger audience who probably aren’t interested in the show anyway by having younger presenters, influencers and social media types.
“I never believed that was the way to go. Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always felt that the way to attract an audience of any demographic is to make sure you offer a high-quality product.
‘If the show is being watched by mums and dads in their forties, make sure it’s good enough so that when the new generation reaches their forties it’s something they want to watch.
“If I’m going to listen to someone talk about a football match, I’d rather it be someone who has played and is able to see things that people like me, standing in the stands, can’t see, than a big social media figure.” social.’