Gary Lineker has claimed he still tweets about political issues ‘so I can look at myself in the mirror at night’, and said he will continue to share his views in spite of BBC impartiality laws.
The Match of the Day presenter, 63, last year sparked a political row by criticising the government’s small boat policy.
Speaking to historian David Olusoga during an appearance at the Hay Festival, Lineker said that sharing his opinions publicly felt vital.
‘I don’t think I probably make a blind bit of difference, but it makes a difference to me, and that’s important,’ he said.
‘Sometimes if things upset you or things are joyous, either way, it’s nice to talk about things.’
Lineker added: ‘I don’t do it so I can try and influence. I do it so I can look at myself in the mirror at night.’
Speaking of the criticism he receives, Lineker said: ‘It’s only a line of attack if they don’t agree with you. They’re perfectly happy with free speech for sports people or musicians or historians or whatever it is as long as they agree.
‘The minute they disagree with what you say, they say: ”Stay in your lane.” So I think you have to take that with a little bit of a pinch of salt.’
The former England striker also revisited the row over his tweet last year about Suella Braverman’s small boat policy – when he compared the language used to launch the policy to that of Nazi Germany.
The BBC then dropped him from Match of the Day. But after his colleagues Ian Wright and Alan Shearer – as well as other members of the BBC Sport team – walked out in protest, the BBC quickly restored Lineker to his role.
‘I think it was a great shame what happened because it pitched me against the BBC,’ he said.
‘I’ve worked for the BBC for 30 years and I love the BBC.’
At the end of his appearance at the festival, Lineker received the Hay Festival Medal for his services to broadcasting and journalism.