Gary Lineker, 62, has addressed the public backlash over his salary, which the former Leicester City player receives for fronting Match of the Day and other BBC Sport coverage.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Gary spoke out just months after he was suspended by the BBC, before being reinstated, due to criticising the Conservative government’s asylum policy on Twitter.
He admitted of being the BBC’s highest-paid presenter: “It’s a difficult one because of the licence fee, but we should push what great value we offer.
“That’s hard because you get the ‘we pay your wages’ thing and nowadays they publish the salaries and I’m at the top of that.
“That does make me uncomfortable. I’m in a genre that pays really well, that delivers the biggest audiences, where people fight for your services.”
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Gary went on to admit that he can’t justify his salary against vital professions, such as nurses, but also claimed that this argument is slightly redundant.
He continued: “I’m unique in presenting having played at the top level and worked really hard to get here.
“But can I justify my salary against a nurse? No. Obviously not. That’s not how it works, though.
“Could I have earned more elsewhere? Absolutely. But I’ve always loved working with the BBC.
“It’s a rocky ride because of the love‑hate relationship some have with the corporation.”
Gary previously shared details of the agreement he has with the BBC over his Twitter usage.
The football pundit spoke to Men’s Health UK about why he refused to “back down” after sparking an impartiality row with the BBC over a Twitter post earlier this year.
Gary was suspended from Match of the Day after he condemned the language used by Suella Braverman while discussing the government’s asylum policy.
The retired footballer divided opinion when he compared the policy to language “used by Germany in the 30s”.
He told Men’s Health UK’s ‘Talking Heads’ columnist Alastair Campbell: “When the new social media guidelines were brought in, I said fine, but we agreed I would not stop occasionally tweeting about two issues in particular: climate change and refugees.
“I wasn’t prepared to back down on that, especially as I felt and still feel that what I tweeted was fair and true.”
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