The BBC's new sporting supremo is backing moves to end Gary Lineker as Match of the Day host, sources have told MailOnline.
Alex Kay-Jelski has been labeled 'the hatchet man' behind the scenes at the BBC, according to sources, having fired Jermaine Yen41 following his sexting scandal.
Sources now claim he wants to revamp the main show by bringing in a new presenter, who could appeal to a younger audience and believes the former England striker's name does not carry as much weight as it once did.
Kay-Jelski, who has only been in the role for six months, is also believed to be frustrated by Lineker's outspoken views and foul language used on his The Rest Is Football podcast, which he believes reflects negatively on the Match of the Day.
Furthermore, he views Lineker's £1.35m annual salary as 'excessive' and privately admitted that Match of the Day viewers would tune in regardless of the presenter.
A source told MailOnline: 'Lineker's job is very much under threat.
“He has led Match of the Day for over 25 years, so the show needs a change, and Kay-Jelski is the man ruthless enough to spark one.
“His brutal elimination of Jenas shows he is not afraid to make big decisions and has no qualms about potentially upsetting Lineker.
“There is a feeling on Match of the Day that a new era is ready to begin and Lineker will be the biggest victim.”
In the photo: Alex Kay-Jelski (right) with his sister Sophie
Pictured: Lineker who receives a salary of £1.35 million a year from the BBC
MailOnline revealed last week that the BBC had apparently produced a press release announcing Gary Lineker's immediate departure from Match of the Day.
Kay-Jelski was the alleged author of the email, having only started his role as Head of Sport in April.
He dispatched Jenas, who, according to some reports, was being lined up to take Lineker's place in charge of football's flagship show.
In light of rumors that Jenas had sent sexually inappropriate text messages to younger colleagues, Kay-Jelski launched an investigation into the case and cruelly fired Jenas in a video call while he was on vacation with his family.
As soon as the decision was made, Kay-Jelski sent a terse email to the entire BBC sports team announcing: “Hello everyone, I would like to inform you that Jermaine Jenas no longer works for the BBC. Thanks, Alex.
According to sources, he has been equally tough in negotiations with Lineker over the renewal of his current contract, which expires at the end of the football season.
Kay-Jelski is understood to have been angered by Lineker's often outspoken comments on his non-BBC podcast, which he hosts alongside MoTD colleagues Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, which is produced by his own profitable company, Goalhanger.
Lineker sparked controversy this summer after describing England's performance in the early stages of Euro 2024 as 'shit'.
It is estimated that he earned more than £125,000 from the podcast in the first two weeks of the Euros alone.
Despite having had ample opportunity to deny the authenticity of Kay-Jelski's email, the BBC clearly failed to do so, leaving observers with the strong impression that Lineker may be on his way out.
The email even included a quote from BBC director general Tim Davie praising the “incredible” career of a “world-class presenter”.
The BBC declined to comment on the email but admitted it had not reached an agreement to renew Lineker's contract, which runs until the end of the season.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We have nothing to announce and have not agreed the next steps in relation to his contract. He is under contract until the end of the season.
A representative for Lineker declined to comment, but the star teased viewers by joking at the opening of last week's show: 'Seven games on the way and this is my last show… before the international break.'
Pictured: Alex Kay-Jelski (left). Kay-Jelski, who has only been in the role for six months, is also believed to be frustrated by Lineker's outspoken views and foul language.
Pictured: Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC's new sporting supremo with his sister Sophie
Pictured: Alex Kay-Jelski with her husband Andrew. Kay-Jelski privately admitted that Game of the Day viewers would watch regardless of the host
When asked about his future, Lineker told our reporter outside his home to “fuck off”.
Despite being 'praised' by his agent to other broadcasters since last year, following his suspension from Match of the Day in March 2023 for criticizing the Conservative government's asylum policy, no deal has been announced.
In the summer, the Mail reported that Lineker plotted an exit for his biggest rival – only to discover that ITV was not interested.
We revealed that a representative for the presenter has made overtures to ITV over the past 18 months.
Sources indicated that the talks were aimed at sounding out whether they wanted the former England player as a sports anchor, with his existing contract with the Corporation expiring next summer.
ITV's approach would suggest Lineker's apparent willingness to jump ship and leave the BBC, although Lineker's agent Jon Holmes dismissed the claims as 'rubbish' and insisted that ITV was in fact interested in recruiting Lineker 'years ago'. ', but was rejected by the presenter.
Meanwhile, The Times reported that Amazon, which broadcasts 20 Premier League games a season, is happy with its line-up and although there were initial talks with Channel 4 after it won the rights to England's qualifiers and friendlies for the Euro.
A foray into the U.S. market may not be the answer either, a source told the Times.
An experienced sports broadcaster warned that although Lineker is very talented at studio presentations, there were risks with different setups.
The anonymous broadcaster said: 'He has done brilliantly in carving out a second career after football and is very safe and comfortable in a studio where he has time to write witty one-liners and read autocue, but when it comes to trying new things and interesting things outside of that environment, it's a little more limited.'
Believed to be leading negotiations with Lineker, Kay-Jelski has already proven it will not be easy.
He thrived in the aggressive world of print sports journalism, heading up the sports desks of the Mail and The Times, before moving to The Athletic as editor-in-chief and then the BBC.
He is the father of two boys with his husband, French executive Andrew Kay-Jelski, 38. Alex Kay-Jelski graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in French and Spanish before beginning his career in journalism.
The only controversy in her career to date was provoking the ire of JK Rowling and Sharron Davies with an article in The Times about trans female athletes.
Gary Lineker says it is “natural” for him to discuss his future with the BBC
Lineker spoke about his future on The Rest Is Football with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards
He suggested that having separate categories for trans competitors was like having “special categories for Jamaican sprinters and Ethiopian marathoners.” He added: 'It sounds crazy, doesn't it? Unpleasant, even.
JK Rowling and others have objected to her concerns about the fairness of biological males participating in female categories being compared to racists.
Following her appointment to the BBC, Rowling tweeted that it was “utterly predictable” that someone like Kay-Jelski would be appointed by the BBC to the prominent role, citing what she described as the broadcaster's “disgraceful” record on gender issues.
He also claimed that athletes who spoke out about trans sport, such as Martina Navratilova and Sharron Davies, were “not experts”.
He seemed to compare those who portrayed trans athletes as “threatening” with racists who might say things like “don’t let black men go into the same stores as you or they will rape your women.”
But in an effort to calm the row, he issued a statement in June promising to put his personal views “aside” after being criticized for dismissing concerns about trans sportspeople.
He said he was “asking for kindness in the debate” but “would not advocate any position in my role at the BBC”.
Mr Kay-Jelski was contacted by MailOnline.
