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MARK CHAPMAN opened last night’s Match of the Day with a cheeky one-liner.The popular host, 51, was yesterday confirmed as one of three presenters that will replace Gary Lineker on MOTD next season.Mark Chapman is one of three new Match of the Day presentersCredit: BBCChapman’s comment had Alan Shearer and Micah Richards in stitchesCredit: BBCChapman will assume hosting duties on rotation with fellow BBC stalwart Gabby Logan and current Sky Sports anchor Kelly Cates.On last night’s mid-week Match of the Day, Chapman stepped in for Lineker, presenting the show alongside regular pundits Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.Opening the show, he said: “Evening. Thought I’d get the practise in.”After being introduced, Shearer joked: “You haven’t wasted any time, have you?”READ MORE IN FOOTBALLGrinning, Richards added: “The ink’s not even dry Alan!”Shearer, 54, continued: “You’re six months too early!”As Richards and Shearer giggled, Chapman responded, with a smile: “It’s going to be a long night!”At the end of the show, Chapman had a quip of his own for the pundits.Most read in FootballSUN BINGO GET £50 BONUS & 50 FREE SPINS TODAYChapman, 51, is set to rotate with Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan as MOTD host next seasonCredit: PAHe said: “That is it. Not bad from you two. A few little improvements and myself, Kelly and Gabby might keep you on. Good night!”Lineker has been Match of the Day’s primary presenter since 1999.Gary Lineker ‘turns into Barry White’ as BBC viewers left stunned by sound of MOTD host’s voiceEarlier this season he confirmed that he will be stepping down at the end of the campaign.He will continue to present live FA Cup action next season, before hanging up his BBC mic after the 2026 World Cup.Explaining his decision on The Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker said: “I feel this is now the right time (to leave).”I think the next contract they’re looking to do Match of the Day slightly differently, so I think it makes sense for someone else to take the helm.”Gary Lineker is set to step down as MOTD hostCredit: PA More

MARK Chapman overcame heartbreaking tragedy before he was named as host of Match of the Day.It was confirmed today Chapman, 51, will share presenting duties with Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan next season.Mark Chapman, Gabby Logan and Kelly Cates will host Match Of The DayCredit: PAThe BBC Sport presenter sadly lost his wife Sara in 2020Credit: TwitterThe BBC broadcaster is dating Dubai-based estate agent Clere CollierCredit: X @ClereCollierGary Lineker will step down as Match of the Day host at the end of the seasonCredit: ReutersGary Lineker is stepping down as host of the Saturday night show at the end of the season.Chapman has been broadcasting for more than 25 years and presents BBC’s Match Of The Day 2 covering the action and reaction from the Premier League.He said: “I know the history of a lot of radio programmes and TV programmes and I do feel honoured to be following in the footsteps of the people that we are following in and respectful of what they have done.”But the BBC Sport presenter sadly lost his wife Sara in 2020.Read more Sports NewsThey married in 2001 and had three children together.Mark is a very private person but previously said of his family: “I know my family are very proud of me but I don’t look at what I do as being anything particularly special.”I’ve got a great job and it’s so much fun but I don’t go in for any of that celebrity-nonsense.”I’d much prefer a pint at The Railway any day.”Most read in FootballSara passed away on June 3, 2020, after battling cancer.A source told The Sun: “Sadly Sara passed away on June 3. Mark and the kids are absolutely devastated.Gary Lineker will stop presenting Match of the Day the end of this season at and will quit Beeb by 2027″The family was there and it’s just a really sad situation.”Yet Chapman found new love with partner Clere Collier.He has been dating Clere since the start of last year with the pair regularly posting loved-up snaps on social media together.Divorcee Clere is a Dubai-based estate agent who runs an international property empire and splits her time between the UK and the UAE.Despite the challenge of living on different continents, Clere and Chapman have found ways to see each other.Chapman jetted out to Dubai for an Easter break last year.While mother-of-two Clere is regularly visiting Chapman in Manchester, where the BBC star lives.Who are the three new hosts?NEW Match Of The Day hosts Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan have years of experience in sports broadcasting and few controversial moments between them.Former England and Leicester City striker Gary Lineker will leave the role, which he has held since 1999, at the end of the current season.Here is a look at those taking over:Kelly CatesCates has been a mainstay on Sky Sports, where she fronts its football coverage, having rejoined the channel in 2016.The Glasgow-born presenter, whose father, Sir Kenny Dalglish, played for and managed Liverpool, was part of the BBC’s Olympic coverage, and is also a BBC Radio 5 Live reporter.She previously fronted highlights programme Football On 5, which was retitled Football League Tonight, and has been hosting the Premier League’s weekly The Kelly And Wrighty Show with footballer Ian Wright and the Sky Bet Not Just Football podcast with Christine Lampard and Hayley McQueen.Cates has experience in a variety of other broadcasting roles, including presenting for Setanta Sports and ESPN, reporting for ITV at the 2010 World Cup and being part of Channel 4’s 2012 Paralympics coverage.She has previously spoken about sexism in football, after then-Sky Sports presenters Andy Gray and Richard Keys claimed female officials “don’t know the offside rule”.She posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Just read about something called ‘the offside rule’. Too much for my tiny brain. Must be damaged from nail polish fumes.”She was also at the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, when she was 13, and spoke in a 2017 documentary, Kenny, about her father having difficulties addressing his grief over the tragedy, in which 97 people died.Mark Chapman”Chappers” has been the permanent presenter of Match Of The Day 2, which shows highlights of Premier League action on Sunday evenings, since 2013.He is also a key part of the BBC’s coverage of football on radio, presenting Sports Report on 5 Live and the Monday Night Club on the same station, as well as their wider sports broadcasting including the Paris Olympics this year.Chapman backed Lineker during his impartiality row with the BBC after the former footballer was taken off air for a tweet comparing the language used to launch a new government asylum seeker policy to that of 1930s Germany.He was among the staff who walked out of sports shows over the incident in 2023, before the broadcaster apologised and reinstated Lineker as host of MOTD, and Chapman returned to his job.In 2024, Chapman and Logan began hosting Global Player’s The News Agents spin-off podcast, titled The Sports Agents, which features sports coverage and interviews.Gabby LoganLogan joined Sky Sports as a presenter after university, before working at ITV and then leaving to present Inside Sport at the BBC after being sidelined by ITV Sport bosses during the World Cup.The former gymnast has previously presented MOTD in Lineker’s absence on many occasions, while she also fronted the BBC’s coverage as the Lionesses stormed to glory in the Women’s Euros in 2023.The multiple winner of Sports Presenter of the Year has also been involved in the BBC’s coverage of Six Nations rugby, and the last four summer Olympic Games, as well as co-presenting BBC Sports Personality of the Year.Logan has also been outspoken, telling the Radio Times in 2013 that she was once rebuked by a BBC boss for looking “too glamorous” after he spotted her in high-heeled boots.Outside the BBC, where the salaries list for the 2022/23 financial year showed she earned £240,000-£244,999, she has also featured on Prime Video’s Every Game Every Goal as well as her podcast with Chapman.Logan, who is married to ex-Scotland rugby player Kenny Logan, has previously told BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs that, when she first started out as a broadcaster, she spent time proving “people wrong” who looked down on her for being a woman presenting sport.Her younger brother Daniel died while playing football with their father, former Welsh footballer Terry Yorath, in their garden.It was later found that Daniel had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition which affects the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body.At the age of 12, Logan had been watching her father play for Bradford City on the day in May 1985 when 56 people were killed in a fire at the Valley Parade stadium. Her mother had left early.She told the Telegraph: “Ever since then, whenever there’s a disaster you think about the decisions that people make within those moments.” More

NEW Match of the Day host Gabby Logan is no stranger to our screens with sporting prowess running through her family.Logan, 51, will be part of a three-person presenting team alongside Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates from next season after a BBC shake-up.Gabby Logan will be hosting Match of the Day full-time when Gary Lineker leaves in May 2025Credit: PABradford City Manager Terry YorathCredit: GettyGabby Logan with Kenny LoganCredit: SplashTerry Yorath, Coventry City Football Player, pictured at home with wife Christine Yorath, daughters Gabby, Louise and Daniel in 1978Credit: GettyLogan, Cates and Chapman will share presenting duties for the flagship Match of the Day on a Saturday night, plus Match of the Day 2 on Sunday evenings.Popular presenter Logan is already well known for her work with the BBC, and has become one the UK’s leading hosts.And she is already a familiar face for MOTD viewers, having presented the show in Lineker’s absence on many occasions.Logan also fronted the BBC’s coverage as the Lionesses stormed to glory in the Women’s Euros in 2023.Read More in FootballBut it is not just Gabby who is a famous sporting name in her family.Her father is former Welsh international footballer Terry Yorath.Although born and bred in Cardiff, much of Yorath’s sporting career was spent at Yorkshire clubs, including Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday.Terry also managed Bradford City and steered the club to promotion to the Second Division in 1985.Most read in FootballAs a child, Gabby moved around a lot due to her dad’s career, which also sparked her interest in football.Long before she rose to fame as a TV presenter, Gabby had very different career ambitions. The TV star was a teenage rhythmic gymnast and represented Wales at the 1990 Commonwealth Games when she was 17.Gabby inherited her dad’s athletic gene as she was good at netball and high jump at school but excelled at gymnastics.She was a gymnast during her teen years and her peak came in 11th place in rhythmic gymnastics while representing Wales at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.’New MOTD host’ Gabby Logan’s live TV interview with Liverpool boss Arne Slot ends awkwardly Gabby is also married to former Scotland international rugby union player Kenny Logan.The couple, who live in Buckinghamshire, tied the knot in 2001 before welcoming twins Lois and Reuben in 2005. Sharing the secret to their longstanding marriage in a recent interview, Gabby described their relationship as a “team sport”. Following the announcement of her new role, Gabby said: “It’s always a real moment [sitting in the chair] because it has such history.”It’s still so relevant to so many people now and talked about in a landscape where TVs changed so much.”There’s an enormous responsibility to make sure we continue to evolve while at the same time respecting the traditions of Match of the Day.”People want to see the goals, they want to see the incidents, they want to see the moments everyone’s talking about, so while we can tinker at the edges, the core is the football.”It comes after a statement posted on MOTD’s X, formerly Twitter, page read: “New squad for next season!”We’re delighted to announce that Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan will share Match of the Day presenting duties from 2025-26.”Former England striker Lineker has hosted the highlights programme since 1999.READ MORE SUN STORIESHe will continue to front the BBC’s live FA Cup coverage next season and its coverage of the 2026 World Cup finals.Lineker said last month it had been a “joy and a privilege” to present Match of the Day.Who are the new Match of the Day hosts?MARK CHAPMANChapman, 51, already has the gig as MOTD2 host on a Sunday night.He also landed the hosting job for the new BBC Champions League highlights show.Though not a former player, Chappers has shown his quality as a presenter and will be an able replacement.GABBY LOGANLogan – who at 51 is the same age as Chapman – is one of the understudies to step in when Lineker is not available.A vastly-experienced broadcaster, presenter and host, Logan seems to have done it all to cover sport for BBC TV – doing everything from Sports Personality of the Year to the Olympics, including Paris 2024.She joined Lineker, Scott and Chapman as Euros presenters and is now on the BBC and Amazon Prime teams for the 2024-25 Champions League.Logan joined the BBC in 2007 and was the main face of Final Score from 2009 to 2013.KELLY CATESCates has worked for the BBC on and off since 2013, for Radio 5 Live.She presented iconic fan phone-in show 606 alongside Ian Wright on Sunday’s between 2013 and 2018.After joining Sky Sports her role was reduced, but Cates returned to host a midweek sports show, 5 Live Sport, mostly on Tuesdays, while she also provided coverage of the 2022 World Cup.The daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish became a TV presenter at Sky Sports, working on several Premier League shows including Friday Night Live and Super Sunday, which she appeared on for the Manchester Derby today. More

THE new hosts of the BBC’s Match of the Day have been confirmed for when Gary Lineker leaves.Kelly Cates, 49, will be part of a three-person presenting team alongside Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan from next season.Kelly Cates, 49, will be a presenter on Match of the DayCredit: GettyGabby Logan, 51, will share hosting duties on Match of the DayCredit: RexCurrent MOTD 2 presenter Mark Chapman, 51, will continue in his role and host MOTDCredit: PAGary Lineker is stepping down as Match of the Day presenterCredit: BBCCates, Chapman and Logan will share presenting duties for the flagship Match of the Day on a Saturday night, plus Match of the Day 2 on Sunday evenings.A statement posted on the show’s X page read: “New squad for next season!”We’re delighted to announce that Kelly Cates, Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan will share Match of the Day presenting duties from 2025-26.”Former England striker Lineker has hosted the highlights programme since 1999.Read more Sports NewsHe will continue to front the BBC’s live FA Cup coverage next season and its coverage of the 2026 World Cup finals.Lineker said last month it had been a “joy and a privilege” to present Match of the Day.But he added on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I feel this is now the right time (to leave).”I think the next contract they’re looking to do Match of the Day slightly differently, so I think it makes sense for someone else to take the helm.”Most read in FootballOn becoming one of the presenters Cates, who will also continue her role with Sky Sports, said: “Once I sit in that chair and the theme music starts, I just know that’s going to be a really incredible moment.”I’ve worked with a lot of the pundits before and they’re all fantastic, so I’m just looking forward to getting started.Gary Lineker will stop presenting Match of the Day the end of this season at and will quit Beeb by 2027″I’ve known Gabby and Mark really well for years so to bring it all together, embracing the digital side of things, it feels like a really comprehensive football package for fans and that’s what makes it so exciting too.”Logan, who is also at the heart of the BBC’s rugby and athletics coverage, said: “It’s always a real moment [sitting in the chair] because it has such history.”It’s still so relevant to so many people now and talked about in a landscape where TVs changed so much.”There’s an enormous responsibility to make sure we continue to evolve while at the same time respecting the traditions of Match of the Day.Who are the new Match of the Day hosts?MARK CHAPMANChapman, 51, already has the gig as MOTD2 host on a Sunday night.He also landed the hosting job for the new BBC Champions League highlights show.Though not a former player, Chappers has shown his quality as a presenter and will be an able replacement.GABBY LOGANLogan – who at 51 is the same age as Chapman – is one of the understudies to step in when Lineker is not available.A vastly-experienced broadcaster, presenter and host, Logan seems to have done it all to cover sport for BBC TV – doing everything from Sports Personality of the Year to the Olympics, including Paris 2024.She joined Lineker, Scott and Chapman as Euros presenters and is now on the BBC and Amazon Prime teams for the 2024-25 Champions League.Logan joined the BBC in 2007 and was the main face of Final Score from 2009 to 2013.KELLY CATESCates has worked for the BBC on and off since 2013, for Radio 5 Live.She presented iconic fan phone-in show 606 alongside Ian Wright on Sunday’s between 2013 and 2018.After joining Sky Sports her role was reduced, but Cates returned to host a midweek sports show, 5 Live Sport, mostly on Tuesdays, while she also provided coverage of the 2022 World Cup.The daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish became a TV presenter at Sky Sports, working on several Premier League shows including Friday Night Live and Super Sunday, which she appeared on for the Manchester Derby today.”People want to see the goals, they want to see the incidents, they want to see the moments everyone’s talking about, so while we can tinker at the edges, the core is the football.”Chapman will continue his usual programmes on BBC Radio 5 Live, including Saturdays with the iconic Sports Report.He added: “I know the history of a lot of radio programmes and TV programmes and I do feel honoured to be following in the footsteps of the people that we are following in and respectful of what they have done.”On sharing the role, Cates said: “This isn’t about the three of us, it’s about the three of us plus our pundits, plus our editors, plus our analysts and stats people and production people, radio and online.”Genuinely this is about all of us as a department working together.”Cates has worked for the BBC on and off since 2013, for Radio 5 Live.She presented iconic fan phone-in show 606 alongside Ian Wright on Sunday’s between 2013 and 2018.After joining Sky Sports her role was reduced, but Cates returned to host midweek sports show, 5 Live Sport, mostly on Tuesday’s, while she also provided coverage of the 2022 World Cup.The daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish became a TV presenter at Sky Sports, working on several Premier League shows including Friday Night Live.READ MORE SUN STORIESSky Sports bosses are reportedly sad to see her leave – but she was understood to be the BBC’s leading external candidate to take over from icon Lineker.Logan and Chapman have worked for the BBC for several years including on Match of the Day.Cates has worked as a presenter on Sky Sports since 2016Credit: GettyShe has presented flagship shows including Super SundayChapman already has the gig as MOTD2 host on a Sunday nightCredit: GettyHe has been on the sofa for the new BBC Champions League highlights showCredit: BBCLogan is a top broadcaster who has worked on the biggest sporting eventsCredit: AlamyFather and daughter share a laugh during Sky Sports’ coverageCredit: PA More

FANS were left stunned by Gary Lineker’s throaty voice as he presented Match of the Day last night.The veteran host, 64, fronted a bumper Boxing Day MOTD for the final time ahead of his exit at the end of the season.Gary Lineker presented his final Boxing Day MOTD last nightAlan Shearer and Joe Hart laughed at Lineker’s quipCredit: BBCAs he introduced the show, Lineker sounded more like Sean Dyche than his usual self.In gruff tones, he grunted: “Ready for some football? Eight games underway.”Introducing pundits Alan Shearer and Joe Hart, he continued: “Look who we’ve got for Christmas, one of them’s a keeper and the other one’s getting returned.”Despite Lineker’s quip, several viewers at home could only focus on his voice.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLOne wrote on social media: “Lineker talking like his mom’s upstairs and told him and his mates to keep the noise down, or they’ll have to go home!”While a second claimed: “Blimey, Gary Lineker sounds rough.”A third pointed out: “Gary Lineker voice shot to bits.”And a fourth joked: “Lineker turned into Barry White.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSAnother added: “Gary Lineker sounds awful on #MOTD are they so desperate for him to present it even when he’s clearly ill?”At the end of the programme, Lineker referenced his unusual-sounding voice.Alan Shearer in the dark on Gary Lineker’s MOTD replacement, but reveals why he doesn’t want to know who’s coming inHe closed the show by saying: “So Liverpool came from behind to beat Leicester, and it’s beginning to look a Slot like Christmas is over… and I’ve got a cold. Goodbye.”Lineker is set to leave Match of the Day after 26 years at the end of the season.He is reportedly set to be replaced by a rotating cast of Gabby Logan, Mark Chapman and Kelly Cates.Lineker will continue to present the BBC’s live FA Cup coverage during the 2025-26 campaign.He will then bring the curtain down on his illustrious Beeb career at the 2026 World Cup. More