Gary Lineker backtracks after PREMATURELY congratulating Alex Scott for landing the Football Focus presenting job before it has been announced… after making the SAME mistake …
Football Focus #FootballFocus
Gary Lineker has congratulated Alex Scott with the former England and Arsenal star set to become the first female presenter of Football Focus after taking over from Dan Walker, before backtracking amid no announcement from the BBC.
Reports emerged on Tuesday night that BBC and Sky Sports pundit Scott, 36, is on the verge of taking the hotseat after Walker, 44, announced he would leave the magazine show at the end of the season.
And Lineker, who hosts Match of the Day, has taken to Twitter to congratulate his colleague on her new gig, although admitted he may have done so slightly prematurely with the BBC yet to officially confirm who is taking over.
Gary Lineker has congratulated Alex Scott with the pundit set to take the Football Focus job
‘Congratulations and good luck @AlexScott with your new role presenting Football Focus,’ he wrote. ‘With 140 @englandlioness caps and about 350 trophies in the cabinet, I reckon you’ll do brilliantly.
‘Apparently there’s nothing official yet. Saw it was trending so may have jumped in prematurely. I know nothing.’
It is not the first time that Lineker has prematurely congratulated his Match of the Day colleague, having mistakenly wished her well as the next host of A Question of Sport, with the BBC denying speculation that the 36-year-old would take over from Sue Baker.
Dan Walker will leave the magazine show after 12 years presenting the flagship programme
Lineker wished Scott good luck before adding he knows nothing with no announcement made
‘Congratulations and good luck to @AlexScott on being the new host for Question Of Sport,’ he had said.
‘Smart, knowledgeable and perfectly qualified for the role. Oh… and if you have a problem with Alex getting the job, you might just be part of the problem.’
Scott responded to Lineker’s latest tweet with a GIF that read: ‘I’ve seen this movie before’ accompanied by laughing emojis.
Scott has become a household name since hanging up her boots in 2018, earning plaudits for her expert analysis as a pundit while also flourishing in other presenting roles, such as on The One Show.
Lineker previously congratulated Scott for taking over as presenter of A Question of Sport
The BBC moved to deny rumours that the former footballer would take over from Sue Barker
Scott, 36, jokingly responded to Lineker’s tweet, claiming ‘I’ve seen this movie before’
The former Arsenal star was a frontrunner to land the gig, with bookmakers placing her as a strong contender alongside Jermaine Jenas and Eilidh Barbour.
Walker leaves the flagship programme and said he was excited to see someone else take the reigns.
‘It has been an amazing 12 years and I have loved every second of it,’ Walker said of his time on the show in a video posted to Twitter.
‘I am so proud of the job we’ve done, the changes we’ve made and issues we’ve looked at while the football landscape changed immeasurably. Having said that, after 12 years it is time for someone else to take the reigns.
Scott (left) has become a household name in Britain thanks to her excellent football analysis
‘I am really going to miss the magic of the programme, the opportunities it has given me, the great friends I have made along the way and the thousands of conversations I have had with people who love the show just as much as I do.
‘I’d like to say thank you to the amazing team at Focus who put so much into the show each week and thank you to the audience for tuning in every Saturday.’
Walker spent 12 years hosting the weekly programme and will continue hosting BBC Breakfast as well as various BBC Sport programmes, including this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
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