Gary Lineker and the problem with celebrity boycotts

One of the country’s most cherished footballers, and one of its most irritating right-on social media commentators, Gary Lineker, has been at it again. In a post on X on Friday night the former Barcelona striker declared his support for their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League final. Why? Because, citing an account that monitors politics in football, Madrid’s opposition, Borussia Dortmund, recently signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with the weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall, a firm that sells arms to Israel.

Never slow to jump on a bandwagon, Lineker may have been watching the events unfolding this week at the Hay Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival, both of which bowed to pressure to sever their sponsorship deals with the asset manager Baillie Gifford on account of its financial connections with Israel – and for its links with un-eco-friendly concerns. It was only a matter of time before Lineker would utilise a field in which he is an authority, football, as a means to join this conga line of disapproval.

The events unfolding at these literary festivals have been widely reported and commented on in disapproving tones across the political spectrum, from the Observer and Financial Times this weekend to the Times and Daily Telegraph during the week.