One of those monitoring the Gary Lineker situation closely will be the taxman.
Lineker is being pursued by HM Revenue and Customs for £4.9million it says should have been paid on income received between 2013 and 2018.
HMRC say Lineker should have been classed as an employee of the BBC and BT Sport, rather than a freelancer, with a legal hearing ongoing.
Indeed, the case and Lineker’s suspension have parallels, given the pundit’s insistence he is not bound by the BBC’s editorial guidelines as he sees himself as a self-employed contractor.