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Had it not been for an Instagram post sent in haste and viewed by millions, Gary Lineker‘s plans for the World Cup would be very different.

Cast your mind back a year ago and the plan was for this summer’s tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada to be Lineker’s BBC “victory lap”, the final in New Jersey next month bringing the curtain down on a stellar but sometimes controversial career with the corporation. It was the perfect script for their star presenter.

But an ill-fated pro-Palestine post – which featured a rat emoji widely understood to be an anti-Semitic trope that Lineker hadn’t noticed – put an end to that and perhaps prevented further fireworks down the line.

Released from “walking on eggshells” at the BBC after the furore last year, Lineker will be fronting a daily Netflix version of his The Rest Is Football podcast in Manhattan’s Times Square, immersing himself in the World Cup atmosphere and delivering some straight-talking analysis.

Read the full interview here ➡️: https://trib.al/sLfM6Ca

"It is hard to know what Naomi Osaka did wrong," writes James Gray ✍️

Read more ➡️: https://trib.al/zdBY68G

What if VAR wasn't a thing? 🤔

Read more ➡️: https://trib.al/niyPzGO

"Gareth Southgate drama 'Dear England' is a love letter to a country that doesn't exist," writes TV editor Emily Baker ✍️

Read more ➡️: https://trib.al/pRSwSi7

"An emotional chorus of 'Forever Blowing Bubbles' met the end of West Ham United’s 14-year stay in the Premier League," writes chief football writer Kevin Garside.

"It was both a demonstration of attachment deeply felt and a measure of the growing separation between terrace and boardroom.

"The message was clear. This is our club, not yours David Sullivan. You brought us to this end, to this concrete wasteland of a stadium nobody wanted, a fitting setting for a club that has lost its centre. Your accomplice Karren Brady has gone. Now it’s your turn. Get out."

Read more ➡️: https://trib.al/ltOOJD0

"There is no such thing as an undeserving champion," writes Daniel Storey ✍️

Read more ➡️: https://trib.al/bdAvJ90

🗣️ "Chemsex almost killed my friend - I stood at his bedside for two days"

Former Wales captain Gareth Thomas was the first professional rugby player to openly come out as gay.

Now he wants to tackle the hidden drugs crisis affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

Read the full interview here ➡️: https://trib.al/UsZWbiX

"The impact of this freak show cannot truly be known for years to come," writes Matt Majendie ✍️

Read more ➡️: https://trib.al/zsZamU2

"Mikel Arteta couldn't care less what you think of his tactics," writes Daniel Storey ✍️

Read more ➡️: https://trib.al/08105Wx

🚨 Hull City are considering legal action over Southampton "spygate" chaos

Read more ➡️: https://trib.al/QDPPUBI