Gary Lineker | Live Q&A: Politics, World Cups and the Changing Game

0:02Gary Lineker:This is a Global Player original podcast.

0:11James O'Brien:We should move on to the questions that have been submitted by members of the audience. Oh, yes, please. And we'll begin with one that fits quite nicely. Salt and vinegar.

0:24James O'Brien:What you were just talking about. This is for Gary. given the current situation over the pond, do you think there's more controversy going into this year's World Cup in America than there was in Qatar in 2022? And do you think, and this is a particularly pertinent question to ask you of all people, but should sports journalists and broadcasters be more outspoken now?

0:44Gary Lineker:Well, I think a lot of journalists will be, I guess, and have been and are. We live in crazy, crazy times, don't we? the world order is shifting quickly. Obviously, we're not quite sure what's going to happen with the World Cup. I've got to be slightly careful. I don't want them to let me in. No, of course.

1:06James O'Brien:That's the next question. That's the next question. How likely do you think it is you'll be granted an Esther?

1:15James O'Brien:But you actually do. I mean, it's only 52 % funny, 48 % serious. And whatever goes wrong with that?

1:25Gary Lineker:Yeah, it's not an Esther either. It's an O-1 I need. Is it? Yeah, we're well down the line. I think it'll be fine. I think it'll be fine. The White House have reached out to us and said how much they respect the podcast and want to play a part, which is not him, obviously. The guy that's in charge of the World Cup part of the White House, I should say. So I think we'll be okay. but that yeah but I've I've covered so many World Cops so many and played in a couple and it's always the same before them there's always concerns there's always worries some of them are bigger than others you know I remember Russia obviously they they've gone into they'd invaded not long before Crimea yes and then four years ago there was all those things about the stadiums and the people die building the stadiums and the LGBTQ rights and all this sort of stuff.

2:24Gary Lineker:So there's always something before a major tournament. I remember in Brazil, there were massive demonstrations by all the people of Brazil saying, they spent so much money on these stadiums that it's not right that we should be hosting the World Cup. I mean, South Africa had its issues. Everywhere we've been, and it will be the same in this one, and then there'll be, and people will speak about it and talk about it, as will we, I'm sure. And then the football will stop. And then, by and large, it's always been all right from that point. As long as they let the Brazilian footballers in. And, I mean, at the moment, you know, they've talked about not allowing people visas from countries.

3:07Gary Lineker:I mean, imagine not letting Brazil... The problem is, anything's possible. I think, I mean, I have my doubts, I have my worries, and I have my concerns, but I think it'll be okay. I hope it'll be okay, but I don't know because the world's gone mad.

3:23James O'Brien:I was just thinking about, you said that a moment ago, and I was just thinking, Gary, it's almost as if centrist dads on Twitter haven't managed to stop the terrible things from happening in the world.

3:32Gary Lineker:We never do. I've always said, though, people say, well, do you think it helps? I went, no, it doesn't help. I said, but ultimately you have to live with yourself. You have to look yourself in the mirror. And then people also say, well, don't you, do you get the hump about other people not speaking out on certain issues? I said, no, I understand how difficult it is. And the only person, the only person that you can actually control is yourself. So, you know, I would never criticize anyone for not saying anything or not speaking out, but also admire people that do. Of course. Yeah, of course. Yeah.

4:09James O'Brien:Well, you know, you've preempted the question after the next question. But I'm going to read it anyway because it's just beautifully written. We haven't put names on the questions, but we should have done because this is a masterpiece. Rumour has it that you never received a yellow card during your entire football career. That's not fake news.

4:27Gary Lineker:Never tackled anyone.

4:29James O'Brien:What are you going to get sent off for? What happened? It's nicely put this. What happened to that element of restraint and discipline when it came to your outspoken social media post? What drove you to ruffle the feathers even at the expense of jeopardising your media career?

4:49Gary Lineker:Who asked that? Come on, take the credit. Oh, you're waving at the back there. Hello. Again, I'll go back to that point about social media because I've always had these thoughts. Always had these thoughts. But A, in any interview I ever did, I was never asked about them. Of course not, no. And then B, suddenly you get this thing where other people are doing that. Oh, I'll put my views on there. Can't do any harm.

5:16James O'Brien:There's a great quote from when Peter Cook opened the Establishment Club in Soho and he said something like, I want to model it on all of those 1930s cabaret bars in Berlin, which did such a great job of stopping the rise of the Nazis and keeping Hitler out of power. We have to indulge the people who are here more for the football than for anything else. The game of football has developed technically over the years in England. Do you think you would have achieved... These questions are hard to answer, I imagine. No, let's not. Would you have achieved the success you did if you were playing in today's premiership, and would you get into today's England team?

6:02Gary Lineker:i think so i think so it's so much easier now is it have you ever seen the pitches we played on that's true mud baths and bobbling how did they ever miss now i mean you get a million penalties the season yeah you've got you're not allowed to kick anyone anymore which is i mean god they used to you were more kicked than kicking during your career totally kicked all the time i mean i've still got the bruises from tony adams and his lot arse um so yeah and the rule change the rule changes which came just after i finished like level used to be offside i mean you can argue it's offside again now with silly VR.

6:47Gary Lineker:And then they changed that. And then we had this thing called like back passes to goalkeepers. You'd play again like Liverpool. Hanson, Lawrenson, pass, pass, pass. And you'd run, like run there, run there, run there, run there, run there. It's pressing, they called it nowadays. Like it didn't exist back then. So you press and then they knock it back to the goalkeeper. So you'd run, like now they'd run to the goalkeeper so they'd have half a chance of getting a goal because the goalkeeper might mess it up. goalkeeper picks it up the week after I quit playing football they brought that law in that would have suited you down to the ground as well wouldn't it I mean it would be quite hard because Harry Kane's bloody good by the way and also in my day we played two strikers and now it's only one central and then two either side and I don't think I'd have been one of those that played either side although I probably could have done on the right but Harry Kane would It would be hard to get in ahead of Harry Kane, to be honest.

7:46Gary Lineker:Yeah.

7:47James O'Brien:What is one belief? I would have. One belief you've changed your mind about in the last five years. I think we can extend the period if it helps. And what actually caused you to rethink it? Oh, blimey. That's tough.

7:59Gary Lineker:That is tough. Our Brexit was actually really good for you.

8:06Gary Lineker:God, that is a tough... I mean, God, there is little things. Yeah. Sometimes I'd probably burnt the onions and wish I hadn't. Because I cook a lot now. But no. I don't know. Fair enough. I'll probably think of something later.

8:21James O'Brien:On the way home. Yeah, on the way. This is for both of us. Well, I mean, it's very kind. You are both seen by a large swathe of the UK public to be in your own ways deeply moral and decent voices working in the broadcast mode. Well, I am. I thought you'd stopped asking your own questions.

8:46James O'Brien:Would either of you consider standing for political office and if not, why?

8:54James O'Brien:Maybe.

8:56Gary Lineker:Oh, God, no. Never fancied it. No, it's bad enough just talking about politics. Imagine being a politician.

9:02James O'Brien:I can't remember whether I've ever told you this or not, but we became friends via Twitter, actually, because you could use the blue tick DM version to contact people that you wouldn't necessarily cross paths with otherwise. And when you invited me over the river to Barnes for dinner, and I thought that you were thinking about going into politics and that you were going to... I did, yeah? And I said to Lucy, I said, I think he probably... Why does Gary Lineker want to have dinner with me? He probably wants... A bit of a fan, James. Well, stop it. He probably... I know what you want to say. You were a fan.

9:35James O'Brien:I was so starstruck. It was a beautiful Italian restaurant, and I didn't eat a fucking morsel because my stomach was like this. It was absolutely a notch. But I genuinely thought at that particular period, just on the aftermath of Brexit, that you might have fancied it. And I know you weren't, but absolutely no prospect whatsoever. No, no, no, no. I'm running for man next year. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I vote for you. That's one. I would vote for you. That's one. Another football question. what can be done to try and remove or reduce the level of toxicity in football today i'm a straight white middle-aged man and even i don't feel comfortable going to football matches anymore club season ticket holder for five years i've just given it up and this was one of the main reasons can anything be done to make it a more pleasant and inclusive environment for everyone um i think a lot of it's changed with these kind of

10:34Gary Lineker:what I don't know you call them on social media little pockets that clubs have Arsenal TV and there's so much venom you know they see with Liverpool and then they have a go at Arnie Slott recently I thought Craig he won the league a few months ago

10:50James O'Brien:so there is a lot of that it's getting worse isn't it because I mean football had I had Simon Woolley on the show the other day I'm not sure do you not I've probably been

11:01Gary Lineker:a little bit naive but I think it's gradually getting better. What was really, really, really sickening on Tuesday night was, I mean, it's alleged, but it was a footballer doing it to another footballer. Now that is incredibly rare. There has been incidents over the years, but very few. Normally it's idiotic fans, the ignorant people in the crowd doing something stupid, awful gestures, and there were a couple of those as well. But you don't, it's very rare, particularly i think in the you know we don't see it here so much it still happens a bit more in foreign countries i think it's got better but i do think with social media the other side of it has probably got worse and there's a bit more venom and angry everyone seems to be angry nowadays but we are put against ourselves we are aren't they yeah they do seek to divide us a bit yes

11:52James O'Brien:well i'd used to talk about football as the model for what was happening to politics and it became so tribal and you know the color of the scarf was more important than anything that happened on the

12:01Gary Lineker:pitch well tribality is what is for me was one of the is the most awful things i mean whether it's religion whether it's color whether it's creed whatever it is it brings that tribalism brings out the worst in people and i don't understand it because i'm like not i mean i cheer my football club of course leicester but we don't win very often but not to the power punching someone who doesn't like them exactly and that sort of thing or imagine like like being nasty to someone because of the color of their skin i mean it makes no sense it just doesn't make any sense or or because they're a muslim or you know or a jew or or anything it's just like why we're just a bunch of people most of us i think i think the vast majority is we just want to have a nice quiet life, work, have a family and get on with life.

12:52Gary Lineker:And then there's this small percentage that seem to want to turn us against each other and I think it's really depressing. And they're in the box seat at the moment, aren't they? But it won't. Well, I think history shows you they generally always have been. It goes up. It goes up and down, definitely, but it's definitely

13:08James O'Brien:up there at the moment. Another one for both of us. If you could swap careers for a day, do the morning off actually after today's show. Gary, who would you most like to interview and why? And James, which football team would you most want to play for? You go first.

13:25Gary Lineker:Who would I...

13:31Gary Lineker:Mark Carney. Ooh, good shout. I thought I'd do a political one because... Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mark is... He's also a friend. I know that sounds a bit mad, but when he was at the Bank of England, we had lunch with him and he took us down to the vault see the gold bars wow oh my god it's incredible it's like way underground i didn't even actually really think that was a thing no the gold bars i said do people really have gold bars how do you fit them in your pocket honestly went down his 10 thousands of these gold bars and and um he's and he i think he's he's he's actually got he's he's got a pair and he yeah he's doing something he's he knows how to deal with the bullies of this world i think and he's He's smart and he's nice.

14:17James O'Brien:Yeah, that's a really, really good shout, actually. Mine's going to be really obvious. I would only really want to turn out for Kidder Mr. Harriot. Yeah.

14:30James O'Brien:You nearly came, didn't you? So this was an embarrassing thing for me. When we had West Ham in the fourth round of the FA Cup a few seasons ago, and we should have won that game, match of the day we're there, so the cameras came. Micah Richards was there. And I'd told all my kind of, I told the chairman, I'd told all of the Kidder, Mr. Harrier's top brass. I said, this would be great because I'm mates with Gary Lineker. And they looked at me, you got, what's it? Gastroenteritis? I was ill. Well, I hope you were.

15:00Gary Lineker:That's what you told me. You know what they call it? They call it the Kidder, Mr. Harrier.