Gary Lineker and Graeme Souness forced to put their differences aside for new ITV gameshow The Box as ex-Liverpool midfielder said he wanted to 'smash' his nemesis a few times' during filming

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 15:00 EDT, 28 August 2026 | Updated: 15:05 EDT, 28 August 2026 They were once rivals on the pitch, and in recent years found themselves clashing over opinions.But Graeme Souness and Gary Lineker were forced to put their differences aside while working together on ITV’s new celebrity gameshow The Box, three years after he called out the Match Of The Day host for refusing to apologise for tweets criticising the Government's migrant bill.Lineker made headlines in March 2023 after being suspended by the BBC for refusing to apologise over criticism of the Government’s bill on illegal migrants. After days of dramatic fallout, which saw his colleagues Ian Wright and Alan Shearer show support by boycotting the programme, Lineker was reinstated to his role.But at the time, Souness claimed that Lineker, Shearer and Wright should keep their opinions to themselves because freedom of speech ‘doesn’t apply’ for BBC employees.‘It wasn’t Gary Lineker’s first time upsetting people, and I don’t think he should’ve said what he did because when you take the BBC’s money you have to be very careful with what you say politically. Freedom of speech is something that doesn’t apply when you work for the BBC, I think you have to be very careful,’ Souness said on William Hill’s Up Front with Simon Jordan podcast.And during The Box’s launch event in London ahead of the series debut on September 5, Souness couldn’t help but take a playful jibe at Lineker. Graeme Souness (pictured) and Gary Lineker were forced to put their differences aside while working together on ITV ’s new celebrity gameshow The Box Lineker made headlines in March 2023 after being suspended by the BBC for refusing to apologise over criticism of the Government’s bill on illegal migrantsThe ex-Liverpool midfielder admitted he wanted to ‘smash Lineker a few times’ during filming.Lineker watched the 10 celebrity contestants compete in unpredictable physical, mental, and logical challenges with little to no instruction.‘It was revenge for that tackle at Anfield in 1981,’ Lineker responded to the dig, to which Souness responded: ‘Is it a bit too late to apologise?'Elsewhere, several other contestants revealed what Lineker was really like as host of the new gameshow.Love Island’s Shakira Khan revealed: ‘They had to keep Gary away from us because of his poker face.‘He would watch the challenges before, when they tested them, and he would be like, “Oh, so and so did this earlier so you did better than them!” He was really encouraging.’JLS star JB Gill added that Lineker wasn’t allowed to socialise with them off camera due to his knowledge of the show.Ellie Taylor also said: ‘We saw him around challenges. He was great, he was lovely and supportive. He really enjoyed the process and was invested in the show. And I think having that sort of energy at the top of the show sort of trickled down to the rest of us. He was fab.’Touted as a replacement for Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, each episode of The Box concludes with ‘The Duel’, an elimination showdown where two players face off.Asked about this being the first time hosting a big entertainment show, Lineker said: 'It's different - it's something I've never done before, which appealed to me, alongside the unique nature of the concept.'Lineker signed the huge deal with ITV after leaving the BBC last year following an anti-semitism row.The former Match of the Day presenter was axed after sharing a pro-Palestine Instagram video which featured an emoji of a rat, with critics accusing him of promoting a familiar anti-Semitic slur.He later 'apologised unreservedly' for his actions, saying he was unaware of the meaning of the symbol and added: 'I would never consciously repost anything anti-Semitic – it goes against everything I stand for.'He said that stepping down from his role with the BBC – where he was once the highest paid star – was 'the responsible course of action'.The Box begins Saturday September 5 on ITV1 and ITVX.