Gary Lineker apologises after 'insensitive' terrorism pun causes Twitter backlash

The Match of the Day presenter's misjudged gag about England's defence didn't impress his Twitter followers

(REX FEATURES)

Gary Lineker has apologised after Twitter users blasted him for an “insensitive” pun in the aftermath of the Brussels terrorist attacks.

The Match of the Day presenter tweeted the apology after a hail of criticism for a joke he posted on Friday, which has since been deleted.

The 55-year-old had retweeted a quote from England manager Roy Hodgson which said "We have people around us who work very hard to make sure we are secure", in reference to terrorism fears ahead of England’s friendly with Germany tonight.

In a pun about the football team’s defensive prowess, Lineker wrote: “I think we all worry about our defence.” The comments sparked criticism from his many Twitter followers, with one writing: “Not really something to make jokes about.”

Another added: “First time I’ve ever disagreed with your humour. Not the time or the place.”

A third said: “Poor that. Pretty insensitive.”

He responded to the criticism this morning, deleting the tweet and posting: “Apologies for my tweet about England's defence. It was not intended to be disrespectful or in the context it's been taken. Sorry my mistake.”

Lineker is a prolific user of Twitter, having posted 18,300 times since joining the site in 2012. He has become one of the best followed former footballers on the social media site, with 4.68m followers.

He was previously “reminded of his responsibilities” by his employer, the BBC, after tweeting “F***ing hell” when his former side Leicester came back from two goals down to beat Manchester United 5-3 in 2014.