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Gary Lineker Match of the Day replacement set as BBC make huge Champions League decision

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker during the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Manchester City and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on April 20, 2024 in London, England.
-Credit: (Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)


The BBC have reputedly named Match of the Day 2 presenter Mark Chapman the host of their new Champions League highlights programme.

Chapman, 50, is set to debut in the role on Wednesday after the competition's league phase commences next week. Gary Lineker reportedly did not receive a formal offer from the corporation despite seemingly holding talks about the position.

The Match of the Day host's contract with them runs out next summer despite the BBC signing a new deal to broadcast Premier League highlights until the end of the 2028/29 season. Therefore, this latest decision suggests Chapman is the frontrunner to replace Lineker.

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The Times are reporting the move, naming Frank Lampard as someone who will seemingly appear on the show as a pundit alongside Chapman. The Telegraph reported in July that the BBC lined up Gabby Logan to host the show, citing Lineker's other work and midweek travelling as reasons he may not have wanted the gig.

Match of the Day, meanwhile, is almost exclusively broadcast on Saturday night, aside from rare midweek editions. That contrasts with the 16 weekly showings of the Champions League highlights programme scheduled for Wednesday nights.

Chapman notably lives in Greater Manchester, much nearer to the BBC's Salford headquarters than Lineker in west London. He has seemingly filled the void left by Jermaine Jenas as the heir apparent to Lineker after the corporation's former presenter was dismissed for inappropriate behaviour last month.

Much like Lineker before becoming Match of the Day host, Jenas was a regular pundit on the programme before his abrupt departure. Chapman joined the BBC around the same time as Lineker, working across television and radio, which he continues to do on Radio 5 Live, eventually replacing Mark Pougatch as their main presenter on Saturday afternoons, a role he would have to relinquish to present Match of the Day.