London: Gary Lineker has long been the golden boy of British soccer – and not just for the goals. In the decades since hanging up his boots, the former England striker has become a media empire in himself: the unflappable face of Match of the Day, a podcasting powerhouse and – with a $3.6 million salary – one of the BBC’s highest-paid presenters. But after a stormy week of controversy, that empire is showing cracks. This weekend, Lineker will host the FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Crystal Palace, but speculation is building that it will be his last hurrah. At 64, the man who once topped England’s World Cup scoring charts now finds himself under intense scrutiny – not for anything on the pitch, but for a social media misstep that has ignited tensions within the BBC and beyond. Earlier this week, Lineker shared – and swiftly deleted – an Instagram post from the pro-Palestinian group Palestine Lobby. It featured an emoji of a rat, a symbol with deep and disturbing antisemitic connotations, under the heading “Zionism explained in less than 2 mins”. The outrage was instant. Jewish groups, BBC colleagues and media commentators condemned the post. Some within the BBC called for his removal ahead of Saturday’s broadcast.