“Bye bye, Gary!”: Sharon Osbourne gives Gary Lineker the red card, following CAA petition signed by thousands

Sharon Osbourne has given Gary Lineker the red card, saying “Bye bye” to the former footballer under Campaign Against Antisemitism’s social media post advertising its petition, calling for the BBC to cut ties with its highest-paid star.

The number of signatories on the petition is currently 6,000 and counting.

The petition, which was launched after Mr Lineker shared an anti-Israel video, can be found at antisemitism.org/firelineker.

The video misrepresented Zionism and featured a rat emoji.

On Wednesday, Mr Lineker issued an apology, saying: “It was an error on my part for which I apologise unreservedly.”

He also said: “I would never knowingly share anything antisemitic. It goes against everything I believe in.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The game is up. Gary Lineker has been playing the public for fools by pretending to be one. He can’t get away with posing as a knowledgeable campaigner and simultaneously claiming to be an ignoramus who had no idea that portraying people as rats is dehumanising. He’s had too many chances to apologise and now everyone can see through him. The BBC would do well to follow the lead of Sharon Osbourne and thousands of others who have signed our petition demanding that Mr Not So Nice Guy is given the red card.”