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Horse Racing Next Match of the Day Host Odds Amid Gary Lineker Departure Rumours
Mark Champam is amongst the frontrunner to replace Gary Lineker as the next host of Match of the Day.
Leicester-born Lineker is the longest-serving host in the 60-year history of Match of the Day. He first took the hot seat in 1999 after appearing as one of the pundits alongside the previous host, Des Lynam.
“It’s been a big part of my life,” Lineker told the BBC in a recent interview.
“I watched it as a kid. It’s the one night my let me stay up was to watch Match of the Day.
“Because a lot of the population don’t have Sky, TNT or any of the streaming channels, around half of the population get their Premier League fix from Match of the Day.”
“It’s been an absolute privilege to present it for 25 years.”
Lineker’s contract as host of the BBC’s flagship sporting show is due to expire in 2025. He was barred from presenting on the BBC show for three days in 2023 after a controversy on Twitter.
“I’ve still got another year left, at least. We’ll have to wait and see what happens,” Lineker said when asked how much longer he’ll remain in the job.
Speculation has been rife for some time over who will replace Lineker as host of the show. With no bookmaker odds currently available, we’ll offer our predicted odds and insights into the likely favourites.
Next Match of the Day Host Odds
| Name | Odds | Implied Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Chapman | 3.00 | 33.3% |
| Gaby Logan | 4.00 | 25.0% |
| Micah Richards | 7.50 | 13.3% |
| Kelly Somers | 7.50 | 13.3% |
| Alex Scott | 8.00 | 12.5% |
| Dan Walker | 10.00 | 10.0% |
| Alan Shearer | 15.00 | 6.7% |
| Dion Dublin | 26.00 | 3.8% |
Odds via bettingexpert.com.
Jermaine Jenas had been amongst the frontrunners to take over as host of Match of the Day. The former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder has become a regular face on British television. He has worked as a pundit since 2014 and began working on Match of the Day in 2020. A year later, in 2021, he became one of the permanent hosts of The One Show.
That all changed on August 22nd. The BBC announced that Jermain Jenas “was no longer part of our presenting lineup” for Match of the Day.
Another option for the BBC bosses is to go for a pure presenter. If they do, Mark Chapman would be top of the list. Chapman has presented Match of the Day 2 since 2013 and also appears on BBC Radio 5 Live, the BBC’s rugby league coverage and on Sky Sports as host of their EFL Cup coverage. Gabby Logan is in that same vein and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see her take the reins.
Pundits Micah Richards and Alan Shearer should probably be discounted by bettors, as should Football Focus host Alex Scott.
Instead, we believe that the value could lie with Amazon Prime’s main Premier League presenter, Kelly Somers. The 33-year-old has worked with the BBC since 2017, presenting The Women’s Football Show, Final Score, Football Focus and, on occasion, Match of the Day. Perhaps available at longer odds, Somers could be the value pick for bettors once the bookmakers open up the books.
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