Mark Chapman has humorously noted he might benefit from some assistance, as speculation heats up that he will take over the reins from Gary Lineker on Match of the Day. After months of speculation, the BBC and Lineker shocked the broadcasting industry with confirmation that the veteran presenter would be stepping away after the current season’s finale.
Following Lineker’s statement, a host of broadcasters, including Chapman, the usual face of Match of the Day 2, have been hotly tipped to step into the role. Co-host Gabby Logan, on The Sports Agents podcast, didn’t miss a beat to tease Chapman when his phone interrupted the recording with its ringing.
Suspected to be in the running herself for Lineker’s seat, Logan jested: “I know, yeah. That’s the BBC, Match Of The Day!” much to the amusement of their listeners online. Taking it on the chin, Chapman responded with a laugh: “Haha! I tell you what, honestly, I don’t know what it’s like for you at the moment, but bloody hell, I could do with a PA at the moment!” Rumours swirled on Tuesday night about BBC’s freshly appointed director of sport, Alex Kay-Jelski, weighing up the idea of Chapman partnering with Kelly Somers once Lineker delivers his last show in May.
Amid the shake-up at Match of the Day following Gary Lineker’s new deal, sources say Kay-Jelski had a clever rotation plan to fill his boots with Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates. However, an insider revealed to The Sun: “As soon as Gary’s deal was done, Alex made it clear he wanted Mark and Kelly to replace him,” the source disclosed to the outlet.
“It would effectively be a job share and they would rotate hosting duties between them. Mark has made it clear within the team at MOTD that this isn’t something he would want to do. He doesn’t want a job share, he wants Gary’s role as his own, which is understandable.”
They added: “It’s a headache for the BBC because they thought they’d found an easy solution. It’s back to the drawing board and negotiations are ongoing.”
Lineker, who took over from legend Des Lynam in 1999, remains the face of FA Cup coverage and will spearhead the BBC’s presentation for the 2026 World Cup.
