Gary Lineker has said he believes the BBC ‘tries to appease the wrong people’ in a new interview.
Speaking to the BBC‘s Amol Rajan, Lineker argued the broadcaster tries to ‘appease the people that hate the BBC rather than worrying about the people that love the BBC.’
The Match of the Day host will be departing the programme later this year, following controversies over comments he posted on social media in regards to government policy
When challenged by Rajan over whether his actions ‘damaged the BBC’, Lineker said he saw the debate as a ‘free speech issue.’
Lineker pointed out that the people who usually say he shouldn’t air his views on politics are the same ones who often “champion free speech, but freedom of speech when it suits them.”
He added: “Why shouldn’t I be opinionated? I’m a bloody footballer who turned into a sports presenter.”
You can watch a clip from the interview below.
Related: BBC economics editor explains why US needs a deal with UK ‘more than the other way round’