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By BEN WILLCOCKS Published: 05: 00 AEDT, 21 November 2024 | Updated: 08: 36 AEDT, 21 November 2024 97 View comments Football fans are keen for one of Gary Lineker's colleagues to replace him on Match of the Day, a new poll has found. The BBC announced in a statement last week that Lineker, 63, will leave the iconic highlights show at the end of the season after almost 26 years at the helm. Fans are keenly speculating who might replace the England legend in the future, with Lineker set to begin his long farewell on Match of the Day. Despite leaving the BBC's flagship football show, the ex-Tottenham, Leicester and Barcelona star has agreed one-year contract extension with the Beeb to continue hosting their FA Cup and World Cup coverage next campaign. According to a poll carried out by market research company Ipsos, football fans would like to see recurring Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer take the reins on the show, with the Newcastle and Blackburn legend picking up 22 per cent of votes. Mark Chapman, who hosts the highlights show's sister programme Match of the Day 2, was a close second-favourite to succeed Lineker among fans, with 20 per cent.   Football fans are keen for one of Gary Lineker's colleagues to replace him on Match of the Day Lineker will step down as Match of the Day host at the end of the season after almost 26 years Alan Shearer is the fan favourite to take over from Lineker on the programme, a poll has found Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC’s director of sport, is believed to be keen on taking the show down a different direction and hopes a new presenter can attract a younger audience to the programme. Several female presenters are thus in the frame to replace Lineker, with Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, Kelly Cates and Kelly Somers all touted as contenders. Scott comes third in the Ipsos poll rankings with 12 per cent of votes, while Logan is fourth with 10 per cent. Shearer first appeared on Match of the Day in 2006 and has regularly been a feature of the programme since 2009, acting as a pundit alongside Lineker. The two former England team-mates have continued to strengthen their close bond over the years and now collaborate on projects away from the BBC, notably on their football podcast The Rest Is Football alongside Micah Richards. Richards, who began as a Match of the Day pundit three years ago, earned eight per cent of votes on the Ipsos poll, while former Aston Villa star and Homes Under the Hammer host Dion Dublin comes in with seven per cent. The last four names on the poll - Cates, Jason Mohammed, Kate Abdo and Somers - received three, two, two and one per cent of votes respectively.   Finally, four per cent of voters opted for someone else to replace Lineker on Match of the Day, while nine per cent did not know who to vote for. Match of the Day pundit Micah Richards, who joins Lineker and Shearer on The Rest is Football, is another contender for the presenting role and picked up eight per cent of votes in the poll Alex Scott (above), who is also in the frame, had the third most votes, ahead of Richards in fifth Market research company Ipsos asked fans who they would like to replace Lineker in a new poll There is a fear among some avid watchers of the programme that viewing figures will plummet with a female presenter at the helm. BBC's weekend show Football Focus has become far less popular in terms of viewing figures since Scott became full-time presenter in 2021. Sources claimed in October that Scott has been left 'deeply hurt' by a 'lack of support' surrounding Football Focus, unhappy with the broadcaster's response to criticism she has faced since the show's decline. A secondary part of the Ipsos poll asked fans to vote whether they would prefer a male or female presenter on Match of the Day.   According to the poll, 52 per cent of male voters would prefer to see a man host the programme, while 44 per cent have no preference and four per cent would favour a female host. Meanwhile, 41 per cent of woman opted in favour of a man fronting the show, with 48 per cent voting no preference and nine per cent keen for a woman at the helm. Overall, the poll found that almost half (48 per cent) of football fans would prefer a man to replace Lineker - while a similar proportion (45 per cent) say they ultimately don't mind which gender hosts the show. Former Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling this week urged the BBC to be cautious with their appointment of Lineker's successor, claiming that catering to a younger audience could have disastrous consequences.   Mark Chapman (right) came in second in the fan poll, while Gabby Logan (left) took fourth spot Just under half those surveyed would like a male host to replace Lineker on Match of the Day Jeff Stelling (above) has urged the BBC to be cautious with their appointment of Lineker's successor, claiming that catering to a younger audience could have disastrous consequences The ex-Soccer Saturday host, who believes Match of the Day should be targeted towards audiences of all ages, told the Telegraph: 'Demographics? I've never bought the stuff about a new demographic. 'It's a forlorn pursuit to look for a younger audience that probably aren't interested in the programme anyway by having younger presenters, influencers, social-media types. 'I've never believed that was the way forward. Call me old fashioned, but I've always felt the way to attract an audience of any demographic is to make sure you put out a high-quality product. 'If the programme is watched by mums and dads in their forties, make sure it is good enough so that when the new generation reach their forties it is something they want to watch. 'If I'm going to hear somebody talking about a football match, I'd rather it was somebody who had played the game and is able to see things people like me standing on the terraces can't see than is a big figure on social media. ' Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group