The Metropolitan Police said the force is assessing whether an investigation is needed following complaints about presenter Gary Lineker’s social media post which led to his early exit from the BBC.
Scotland Yard officers visited at least one complainant who told them she suffered “significant distress”, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The pundit issued an unreserved apology on Monday after he deleted a post he had previously shared about Zionism that featured a picture of a rat.
After this weekend’s Match of the Day, Lineker, 64, will leave his presenting role at the BBC and will no longer front the corporation’s coverage of the 2026 World Cup or the FA Cup next season.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “We have received a number of reports from members of the public relating to a post published on social media on Monday, May 12.
“The reports will be assessed to determine what further action might be required. There is currently no police investigation into this matter.”
It is unclear how any law might have been broken by Lineker who said he was unaware of the rat emoji or its historically offensive symbolism.
However, detectives may be considering whether the post amounted to a non-crime hate incident where records are kept for speech that is perceived to demonstrate hostility.
In a video on Instagram, in which Lineker referenced the post branded by Downing Street as “completely unacceptable”, he said: “I would like once again to say I’m sorry, unreservedly, for the hurt and upset caused, it was a genuine mistake and oversight, but I should have been more diligent, I know that.”
Downing Street said Lineker had made a “significant contribution” to the BBC but it was important the broadcaster upholds the “highest standards”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Specifically in relation to the social media post by Gary Lineker, that was clearly completely unacceptable and it’s right that he’s apologised.
“Gary Lineker has obviously made a significant contribution to the BBC’s broadcasting over the last two decades and we obviously wish him the best.”
The BBC’s highest-paid presenter has headed up Match of the Day since 1999 and had announced he would be leaving the programme last year at the end of the season, but would still host World Cup and FA Cup coverage.
But in the apology video, Lineker said that Sunday will be his last show, adding it was “best for all concerned that I step down from BBC presenting duties altogether and not do next season’s FA Cup or World Cup”.
In the wake of his departure, after 26 years at the BBC, the vice president of the Board Of Deputies Of British Jews, Andrew Gilbert, called on the BBC to implement antisemitism training for all its staff.
Mr Gilbert said: “We had called for his departure and welcome this outcome. This incident further underscores the importance and urgency of implementing antisemitism training for all BBC staff.”
Lineker was temporarily suspended from the BBC in March 2023 after an impartiality row over comments he made criticising the then-government’s new asylum policy.
He was also among 500 high-profile figures who signed an open letter in February urging the BBC to rebroadcast a documentary, Gaza: How To Survive A War Zone, to BBC iPlayer.
