adminGary Lineker has triggered fans’ reactions after tearing into a Leicester City figure following a fresh blow for the King Power giants. Like all Foxes fans, Lineker was heartbroken by the club’s second consecutive relegation.
Ten years ago, Lineker sported some Leicester City boxer shorts on Match of the Day, months after proclaiming he would present the flagship show in his underwear if the club went on to win the Premier League in 2016. It became one of the defining images of that magical triumph under Claudio Ranieri.
A decade later, Lineker, like all Leicester fans, has been left to witness the wreckage of a nightmare campaign, with poor form and a six-point deduction condemning the Foxes to the third division. The die-hard Leicester supporter and England legend believes the bulk of the club’s issues lie at the door of Rudkin.
After a Leicester fan sent a message into The Rest Is Football podcast asking why Rudkin does not resign, Lineker said:
“I’ll start with Jon Rudkin because I share the view that every fan at Leicester shares. The demise has really been gradual over the last few years.
“But it’s really been when he’s become so influential at the club, when he’s pretty much been the director of football. He has pretty much man-marked Top, the owner — wherever you see him, he’s there at his side.
“He has somehow managed to worm his way up the club. I mean, he has never really… I think he coached a little bit at the academy at one point. But he’s got no background, really, in football, and he’s made a lot of bad decisions.”
Lineker also added that, when analysing the club’s troubles, the horrific helicopter crash which killed former owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, Kaveporn Punpare, Nusara Suknamai, and pilot Eric Swaffer should also be remembered.
He said:
“Also, I think it is an important thing to say about Leicester — it all started to go down, to a degree, with the helicopter crash and the loss of the father, who was the chairman at the time, the owner of the football club.
“The club has suffered because of that. It was a massive blow, on and off the pitch, in all sorts of ways, so I think it’s important to mention that.”
During the 2-2 draw at home to Hull, which confirmed the club’s relegation, fans targeted Rudkin with protests outside the stadium. Top issued a statement to supporters after the match, saying:
“Responsibility sits with me.
“We have experienced the highest highs and now the lowest lows, and the pain is shared by all of us. I am truly sorry for the disappointment we have caused.
“I understand the strength of feeling among our supporters, and we do not take your support for granted, especially at moments like this.”
In March 2026, Rudkin was appointed chief football officer, a move that did not sit well with the club’s fan base at the time. Throughout the campaign, he was regularly seen alongside owner Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, known at the club as Khun Top.
Abdulhafiz Teslim
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