Reshmin Chowdhury's anger at BBC colleagues as she becomes contender for Gary Lineker's job

The BBC are reportedly considering Reshmin Chowdhury arsenic Gary Lineker's replacement connected Match of the Day, adjacent though the presenter claims to person been disrespected by unit successful the past

Reshmin Chowdhury has reportedly emerged arsenic a contender to regenerate Gary Lineker arsenic big of Match of the Day.

Lineker volition permission the relation astatine the extremity of the 2024/25 play pursuing much than a quarter-of-century arsenic the look of the BBC's flagship shot highlights show. News of his impending departure has prompted speculation arsenic to who mightiness measurement into his shoes adjacent year, with the likes of Mark Chapman, Alex Scott and Gabby Logan each linked to the job.

It's besides understood that TNT Sports anchor Chowdhury is being considered. The 46-year-old, who has besides worked for beIN SPORTS, talkSPORT and Discovery Plus, has been portion of the BBC Sport squad since 2010, and has adjacent stood successful arsenic big of Match of the Day 2 successful the past.

However, it was astatine the BBC wherever Chowdhury claims she was a unfortunate of taste and sex prejudice. "Being British Asian... I deliberation I had to person a batch of radical that I knew astir football," she told The Sun successful August.

"That was the astir frustrating part... I mean, is it a surprise? I started disconnected moving successful news, nary 1 questioned maine then. I person a authorities degree, truthful it was rather normal. But erstwhile you travel into sport, radical look astatine you and they are thinking: 'Does she cognize what she is truly talking about?'"

Elaborating, Chowdhury recalled an incidental successful which 2 males colleagues asked her a niche question astir Real Madrid, thing she felt was a "test". She said: "I tin retrieve erstwhile I was astatine the BBC a mates of guys asked maine a question astir a circumstantial Real Madrid player.

"I knew they were investigating me. And possibly this is the lawsuit for different women, and not conscionable astir colour - but they wouldn't bash that to different guy."

Chowdhury got her large interruption aft being named presenter of Real Madrid TV successful 2008, and was the archetypal writer to interrogation Cristiano Ronaldo aft his then-world grounds determination from Manchester United successful 2009. She's since gone connected to enactment for immoderate of the biggest broadcasters connected the planet, and big immoderate of sport's astir prestigious events specified arsenic The Best FIFA Football awards.

In the past, she's spoken of however pugnacious it was to interruption into the industry, and however she believes her ethnicity held her back. "It shouldn't beryllium arsenic hard arsenic it was for maine for idiosyncratic getting into sports broadcasting now," she said.

"I judge it would person been 100 per cent easier if I had an 'in'. The barriers to introduction were everywhere. I didn't person a celebrated sporting idiosyncratic successful my family, oregon cognize anyone successful TV. We request much practice [in the industry]... It's thing I americium passionate about. In the past 5 oregon six years, the doors person opened for women successful sport. But that hasn't ever been the case."

Chowdhury is of British and Bangladeshi origin, and was calved and raised successful London successful an "open-minded, progressive Bengali Muslim" family. As such, she's go a relation exemplary for young British Asian girls trying to travel successful her footsteps.

"I get Bengali parents who travel up to maine and archer maine their daughters privation to go sports journalists due to the fact that they saw me," she said. "I can't archer you however overmuch that means to me. Every clip I perceive that my bosom skips a beat."

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