Latest news with #Lineker
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Wayne Lineker reacts after Conor McGregor allegedly punches 'close pal' at club
Wayne Lineker has shared his 'disappointment' at Conor McGregor after the MMA fighter allegedly punched his 'close friend' earlier this week. McGregor is alleged to have been involved in an altercation at Pacha nightclub in Ibiza on Sunday night. The Sun released footage where McGregor is seemingly leaning over to speak to an unidentified man on the dance floor. The man hit by what looks like a punch falls to the ground shortly afterwards. Almost immediately, several people close to McGregor step in to separate him from other partygoers, reports the Mirror. In a now deleted post on social media, Wayne Lineker identified the man McGregor punched, sharing his disappointment about the Dubliners alleged behaviour. He said: "I've since deleted my post of Conor at ocean on Sunday.' Lineker had previously welcomed McGregor to his O-Beach Club but removed the picture of McGregor with Wayne's brother, Gary, which was captioned: "@thenotoriousmma the man is back." Speaking after the alleged altercation, Wayne wrote: 'To say I'm disappointed is an understatement... we at @obeachibiza @obeachdubai will always put our family first #wearefamily,' he added. McGregor, 36, has now updated his social media for the first time since the alleged incident. The Dubliner took to his social media accounts with several updates. On Wednesday evening, he shared on X - formerly known as Twitter - "You won't speak bad about my country and its people and that's ever. Vote McGregor." Later on, the 'Notorious' shared multiple photos of himself on Instagram, including one with a group of lads and another where he's seen beneath an image of Al Pacino from the iconic 1983 movie Scarface. Earlier in the week, McGregor was spotted on the party island alongside TV star Katie Price. Sporting a hat and shades, McGregor posed for a snap with Price and her mate Ryan Mira at O-Beach Club. McGregor and Price are not the first influx of celebrities that Lineker has welcomed to his day club over the years, with a number of A-listers making time to visit the wonderful white beds of Ocean Beach. Soccer brothers Jude and Jobe Bellingham were spotted relaxing with Lineker last month, as was former welterweight UFC champion Leon Edwards. Meanwhile, the likes of Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Ivan Toney and Declan Rice have all been spotted living it up at the open-air club in the past.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Conor McGregor 'punch victim' identified after UFC star 'threw blows' in club
Conor McGregor has grabbed the headlines once again after footage appeared to show the UFC star punch someone inside an Ibiza nightclub earlier this week Club mogul Wayne Lineker has hit out at Conor McGregor after his "close friend" was allegedly punched twice by the UFC star. On Tuesday morning, footage emerged of former dual-weight UFC champion McGregor appearing to throw punches inside an Ibiza nightclub. The incident is alleged to have taken place at the Pacha nightclub. Just days on from the violent clash, Lineker has revealed it was his close friend who was hit twice by the Irishman. In a quickly-deleted Instagram post by Lineker, the 63-year-old said he was "disappointed' with McGregor for attacking his employee. The 'Notorious' was seen partying in Lineker's Ocean Beach club earlier in the night before moving to the VIP section of Pacha. 'Thought about this post a lot," Lineker's post began. 'This is my very close friend who has worked at Ocean for eight years, he has the most special heart and in all of the years that I've known him he has never raised his voice once. He took two punches from Conor McGregor in Pacha for absolutely no reason. 'He took the punches like a champion. I've since deleted my post of Conor at Ocean on Sunday. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. We at Ocean Beach Ibiza will always put our family first #wearefamily.' One of the victim's friends - who was clubbing during the altercation - told The Sun: "He has worked with Wayne for a long time and Wayne is very loyal to his staff. "Conor had a great deal at Ocean - he got a table and drinks for free. Now that benefit may well be taken away. If you were around Conor in the club and you took your phone out, you'd be told to put it away. I don't know how (the victim) got that close to begin with. He's not said anything about pressing charges or making a formal complaint to the police. He had some time off booked after the incident anyway, but Wayne has been very good at handling it. He's fine and there was no injury from the punches. It was obviously a shock, and he feels he was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Mirror Sport has approached McGregor's representatives for comment. Earlier in the evening, McGregor was seen on the party island with TV personality Katie Price. Taking to Instagram, the 36-year-old was seen puffing on a cigar while wearing red shorts, a sun hat and sunglasses while playing up to the crowd. Price reshared the story to her own social media page with the caption: "You legend." During the chaotic scenes at the Pacha nightclub, footage appears to show McGregor's first punch failing to connect cleanly before the UFC star appears to strike the individual again with his left hand. Witnesses have since recalled the heated physical exchange. 'Clearly something's been said to annoy him and he's reacted very badly. The guy seemed to fall to the floor, and his mates came to pick him up and get him away," one reveller told The Sun. "There [didn't appear to be any] consequences for Conor, but the guy he punched was taken away, and I didn't see him again." Another said: "Someone came up to them and when Conor hit him, about five people fell to the floor as the guy stumbled back. It was a bit like bowling pins, but the guy was really shaken by the hits. About a minute later, the bouncers came and got him on the back and took him out of the club, because he had annoyed Conor. It was right before close anyway. There was no messing around; they just removed him. Conor left through the garden a bit later; he didn't look very happy that they got into a fight."
The National
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Dua Lipa and Gary Lineker join stars calling PM to halt all arms sales to Israel
More than 300 actors, musicians, activists and others used an open letter to call on the Prime Minister to 'take immediate action to end the UK's complicity in the horrors of Gaza'. As well as suspending UK arms sales to Israel, the group urged Sir Keir to 'use all available means' to ensure humanitarian aid gets into the territory and 'make a commitment to the children of Gaza' that he would broker an 'immediate and permanent ceasefire'. The signatories included Lineker, who left his role presenting Match Of The Day earlier this month following a controversy over one of his social media posts about the conflict in Gaza. He was joined by actors including Cumberbatch and Brian Cox, along with Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlin, singers Paloma Faith and Annie Lennox, and Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos. Josie Naughton, founder of the charity Choose Love – which organised the letter, said: 'Words won't save the lives of Palestinian children as they are being killed, words won't fill their empty stomachs. Benedict Cumberbatch is one of several actors to have signed the letter urging the Prime Minister to end all arms sales to Israel (Ian West/PA) 'We need action from Keir Starmer now. That means stopping arms sales, making sure that legitimate humanitarian organisations can reach people in Gaza. It means doing everything possible to make these horrors end.' The letter follows Tel Aviv's decision to renew its military offensive in Gaza last week as it presses for what Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called 'total victory' over Hamas. UK ministers have condemned the decision, suspending trade talks with Israel, sanctioning West Bank settlers and summoning the country's ambassador, while Sir Keir himself called for Mr Netanyahu to end the offensive. The Prime Minister also described the situation in Gaza as 'intolerable' and warned of 'the prospect of starvation' due to a lack of humanitarian aid. Ministers have already suspended licences for some arms sales to Israel, but activists have demanded that the Government goes further, imposing a total ban including on parts for the F-35 jet. But the Government has said halting the export of spare F-35 parts is not possible as the UK is part of a global supply network and cannot control where those parts end up. A Government spokesperson said: 'We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid. 'The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching International Humanitarian Law. 'Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict. 'We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.'
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gary Lineker issues special message on Rest Is Football after losing his wallet
Gary Lineker kicked off the most recent instalment of The Rest Is Football with a special shoutout to a London cabbie. The 64-year-old presenter and pundit left his wallet in the back of a black taxi around three months ago, fretting overnight as to whether or not to cancel his credit cards. However, much to Lineker's delight, the very next morning he went downstairs to see that his wallet had been returned through his letterbox. And speaking on his podcast, The Rest Is Football, alongside co-hosts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards plus guest Alex Aljoe, Lineker detailed the incident. He said: "Before we get into all the action though, and I'm going to ask you all how you're doing in just a sec, but I just need to do something quickly. About three months ago I left my wallet in the back of a black taxi and I thought overnight, left it and left it. "And then I thought, 'I'll wait until the morning before I cancel my cards.' And I woke up the next morning, came down the stairs and my wallet had been pushed through the letterbox. So that was, 'Yes! Thank you very much.' "So three months later my son George orders a taxi from home, and he comes outside. I see George out there and the taxi driver goes, 'Hey Gary, did you get your wallet back?' I went, 'It was you?!' "I said, 'I was trying to find out who it was on the history and all of that sort of stuff but I couldn't, I just wanted to say thank you.' [He was like], 'No, I don't want anything, I don't want anything!' "I said, 'Okay, well you're taking George now, let me give him something to give you a big tip with.' He went, 'No, absolutely not. All I want is a mention on The Rest Is Football.' So Jim, the Fulham fan, thank you very much indeed." Never one to miss a beat, Shearer replied: "What I would say to Jim is that he's seen more than we have because we've never seen your f***ing wallet." Laughter erupted from Richards and Aljoe before Lineker replied: "Very good form!" Lineker parted ways with the BBC after a tenure stretching back to when he took over hosting duties of Match of the Day in 1999 from Des Lynam. The former Leicester City star announced late last year that he would be stepping back from the flagship football highlights show but continuing to work with the BBC for their FA Cup and 2026 World Cup coverage. However, plans changed last month when Lineker announced that he would cut ties with the broadcaster completely following upset caused on social media. Lineker shared a post on zionism online which included a rat emoji - something that is historically tied with anti-Semitism. And although he claims he did not see the illustration, and says that he would never have shared it should he have, he decided that it was the right time to step away from the BBC. He explained: "As I've said, I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic – it goes against everything I stand for. "However, I recognise the error and upset that I caused, and reiterate how sorry I am. Stepping back now feels like the responsible course of action." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Daily Mirror
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Sky Sports eye Roman Kemp in TV shake-up after Match of the Day snub
Roman Kemp has emerged as a surprise target for Sky Sports as they continue on a major restructure which has seen seven presenters leave the broadcaster this summer Sky Sports are in talks with Roman Kemp over a role presenting their football coverage. The 32-year-old is the son of former Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp and rose to fame as the host of Capital Radio's Breakfast show. He left that role in March 2024 after seven years, instead focusing on his presenting job on the One Show. Kemp is also famously a huge fan of Arsenal, regularly attending matches at the Emirates Stadium. He emerged as a surprise name to take over as Match of the Day host following Gary Lineker's exit. Lineker announced last November that his time as MOTD host would come to an end this summer. The former Barcelona star has now left the BBC a year early, after his contract was terminated. Bosses at the corporation are thought to be keen to give the iconic show broader appeal to younger audiences. That led to Kemp's name being linked with a role on the programme, though ultimately Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan were selected to timeshare the job of being Lineker's replacement. Following that snub, the Daily Mail report rivals Sky Sports have opened talks with Kemp over a potential job. The final nature of the role is yet to be decided, though one option is for Kemp to front a show which would be simulcast on Sky Sports News, along with Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League channels. It comes as Sky continue to embark on a major restructure. Seven reporters and presenters have been made redundant, including presenters Rob Wotton, Teddy Draper and Jasper Taylor. Back in November, The Sun reported that Kemp was being lined up for a 'digital role' within the Match of the Day stable. The BBC struck a new highlights deal with the Premier League which enables them to show match action before their traditional 10.30pm time-slot on Saturday nights. The corporation are expected to 'put a renewed focus' on their digital output in light of said agreement. Kemp has been used by Football Focus to conduct some interviews, such as with Arsenal star Mikel Merino back in December. When he announced Chapman, Cates and Logan as Lineker's replacement, BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski insisted he was very hopeful for the future. He said: "I know viewers will love these three incredible broadcasters and journalists at the heart of our football coverage next season. "They're brilliant at what they do and MOTD viewers can be sure they will be well looked after as the big football talking points are expertly analysed. "Gary has done a phenomenal job at Match of the Day for the last 25 years, he'll be missed greatly and we all still get to enjoy him on our screens across some of football's greatest tournaments. "Outside of Match of the Day we've got some great new shows, voices and surprises lined up for the 2025-26 season across audio, video and digital and we look forward to sharing them with you all later in the year. It's a truly exciting time for BBC Sport's football coverage."
