Gary Lineker ‘breaks BBC advertising rules’ by wearing his clothing line on air

Gary Lineker 'breaks BBC advertising rules' by wearing clothing line on air

Gary Lineker has been accused of breaking BBC guidelines by wearing his own range of menswear clothing while presenting coverage of England’s opening Euro 2024 game against Serbia.

The Match of the Day host, 63, launched a range with the high street retailer Next in 2023 and appeared to be kitted out in a pale green T-shirt and sage jacket from his Next collection on Sunday night (16 June).

BBC guidelines state: “Presenters or other individuals must not appear on-air wearing clothing or using products or services which they have agreed/been contracted to promote, advertise or endorse or in which they have a specific financial interest.”

During the BBC’s football coverage, Lineker seemingly wore the same green T-shirt and jacket – retailing at £16 and £55 respectively – that he has modelled in promotional materials for Next on their social media channels.

The BBC told The Independent it would not comment on whether individual presenters had broken advertising guidelines.

However, a spokesman said: “Presenters/contributors provide their own wardrobe and all presenters/contributors are regularly reminded of the guidelines in relation to clothing, even if they are not doing proactive promotional work.”

Neither Next nor Lineker’s representatives responded to a request for comment.

England’s Euro opener is not the first time the BBC pundit has been accused of breaking BBC advertising rules. During the 2018 World Cup, the BBC recognised Lineker had breached guidelines by sharing promotional social media posts about a TM Lewin shirt while he was the face of the menswear brand.

The broadcast said Lineker had made “a genuine mistake”.

In 2022, Lineker’s colleague Alex Scott was told by the BBC to stop promoting items from Reiss, where she was a brand ambassador, while presenting World Cup coverage in Qatar. In a post wearing an orange single-breasted blazer and wide-leg trousers, Scott tagged Reiss in the photo, writing in the caption: “Work Vibing World Cup stuff with @bbcfootball @bbcsport.”

A BBC spokesman told The Daily Mail at the time that it had addressed the issue with the broadcaster directly: “We have spoken with Alex, who has removed the tag and will not be repeating this,” they said.

Lineker has also been criticised for his collection with Next by animal rights activists for its use of mohair wool. Last year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claimed the collection was “made from the hair of abused goats” and called out Next for “profiteering” from “cruel and inhumane” practices on Angora goats.

“Most shoppers would be disgusted that mohair jumpers and suits are made from the hair of abused goats who cry out in fear when they are pinned down,” a PETA representative claimed. Other high street brands, including Marks & Spencer, Zara, H&M and Gap, have banned the use of mohair in their clothing items.

In response to the claims, Next said it only uses mohair that is certified to Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS). “All non-RMS-certified mohair is banned at Next,” a spokesperson said.