Gary Lineker's Match of the Day exit confirmed as BBC release statement

Gary Lineker's departure from the BBC's Premier League highlights show Match of the Day has been confirmed.

On Monday, BBC News reported that Lineker was set to leave the iconic show at the end of the Premier League campaign in May. However, his exit has now been confirmed.

The BBC have agreed a contract extension with Lineker so he can host the broadcaster's coverage of the FA Cup and the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Speaking on his extension, Lineker said: "I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen.

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Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport added: "Gary is a world-class presenter, and we’re delighted that he’ll lead our coverage of the next World Cup and continue to lead our live coverage of the FA Cup. After 25 seasons Gary is stepping down from MOTD.

"We want to thank him for everything he has done for the show, which continues to attract millions of viewers each week. He’ll be hugely missed on the show but we’re so happy he is staying with the BBC to present live football."

While becoming part of the furniture of the BBC's football coverage, Lineker's exit has been speculated for several months. In March last year, he was briefly suspended for comparing the government's rhetoric on asylum seekers to being like that in 1930s Germany on social media.

His suspension led to a walkout from his fellow pundits leaving that weekend's Match of the Day coverage a shell of itself with the extended highlights shown without commentary nor expert analysis. This suspension lasted just one episode before Lineker was reinstated and the show returned to normal.

This year, reports suggested that Lineker was set to leave Match of the Day but these were laughed off by the presenter on air. He told BBC Breakfast in August that he looked forward to hosting Match of the Day for 'another year, at least.'

Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott are the front-runners to succeed Lineker, but one prospective replacement, Jermaine Jenas, was axed by the BBC in September following an investigation into inappropriate behaviour. Lineker took over as host of Match of the Day from Des Lynam in 1999, having started as a BBC Radio Five Live presenter and also worked on Grandstand.

Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy paid tribute to Lineker on Monday's talkSPORT, saying: "He’s been phenomenal to me since the day I walked in the building. And a warm, charismatic, intelligent man who knows his football and has become part of everybody’s furniture, if you like, on a Saturday evening.

"He’s getting on a bit, just because he looks good for his age doesn’t mean he isn’t old. He’s getting tired in his old age, probably wants to just cook his Sunday roast."