People Aren’t Happy About Presenter Tipped To Replace Gary Lineker On Match Of The Day

Football fans have made clear they’re not too happy with the person tipped as a potential replacement for Gary Lineker on BBC’s Match of the Day.

I should start off by stressing that Lineker is still the current host of the popular football highlights show and has not announced any plans for departure – at least not publicly – but the odds for him leaving were slashed last year after he revealed he would be stepping down from his role of hosting Champions League football.

Gary Lineker currently hosts MOTD on BBC One. Credit: Alamy

As a result bookies began speculating about who might take over from Lineker, and this week Sports Betting Company OLBG revealed 4/1 odds that the new host would be none other than Late Late Show host James Corden.

Corden will remain in the US to film his CBS chat show until next year, when he will depart after eight years on the job.

He announced the news during a taping of his show in Los Angeles, describing it as ‘the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make’.

The former Gavin and Stacey star commented: “I never saw [the show] as my final destination and I never want this show to overstay its welcome in any way, I always want to love making it and I really think in a year from now that will be a good time to move on and see what else might be out there.”

James Corden is set to leave his chat show next year. Credit: Alamy

Having previously presented the sports-based panel show A League of Their Own and establishing himself as a well-known West Ham supporter, Corden is no stranger to football, but MOTD fans don’t appear too keen for the possibility of having him take over the show.

Responding to the news on Facebook, one person wrote, “Could pick so many better candidates than him. He should go and do Britain’s Got Talent or something. Stay away from football please,” while another commented: “Surely almost anybody who has ever played the game professionally would be a better choice than James Corden?!”

Another critic of the idea wrote: “I’m not a football fan but even I think that people who present the show should be in the sport themselves or retired from that sport as they actually know what they are talking about.”

Though the odds indicate there is a chance Corden may make his way on to the BBC, those worried about the situation will probably be glad to hear that Corden is considered more likely to get a new role as a weekend talkshow host in the UK, with bookies putting that scenario at 1/2.