Tottenham Hotspur legend Gary Lineker and Arsenal stalwart Lee Dixon renewed old playing rivalries by rowing about their employers’ coverage of tomorrow night’s World Cup final.
BBC anchor Lineker and ITV pundit Dixon traded verbal blows when the ex-Gunners man took exception to a message posted by the England icon on Twitter.
It comes two years after Dixon quit the BBC, where he was Lineker’s colleague, and joined the rival channel.
Both offer live coverage of the eagerly-anticipated game between Argentina and Germany tomorrow, when all eyes will be on the south American side’s talisman Lionel Messi and his in-form opponent Thomas Muller.
The argument started when Lineker tweeted: “A rare opportunity on Sunday to choose your preference of coverage. Very much hope you select @BBCOne to watch the World Cup final.”
Dixon replied: “Are you kidding me!”
And when the ITV man received a backlash from followers for his reaction, he added: “Sorry people are missing my point. It just seemed like a crass thing for Gary to tweet.”
Lineker soon responded to his old studio companion, saying: “(ITV anchor) Adrian (Chiles) trailed the game the other night suggesting ITV was the only channel showing it. That, my friend, was cheeky!”
Dixon replied: “Nice to hear you were watching!”