Berlin

Gary Lineker has blamed journalists for his spat with England's Euros stars. Lineker, a former England international and current BBC pundit, had a go at the team for playing a 'sh*t' brand of football which invited reaction from captain Harry Kane, a day before the Three Lions face Slovenia in a do-or-die match. 

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Lineker in his The Rest Is Football podcast, alongside Alan Shearer, shifted the blame on media for firing the question towards Kane by using his name. 

'Made the headlines again, haven't I! Journalists being what journalists are," said Lineker. 

"They can be a bit tricky on these things trying to wind up our footballers. We've been obviously critical of England's performance as has pretty much every journalist," he added. 

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Addressing Shearer, Lineker said the journalist who asked the question was doing so to stir the pot. 

"We've talked about this on this podcast before about journalists not being brave enough to ask their own questions," said Lineker. 

"I guarantee whoever asked that would have probably been critical himself. I think they do it A) to stir the pot and B) because they're too scared to ask the questions themselves."

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Also read | Harry Kane tears into ex-player-turned-pundit Gary Lineker for 'sh*t' England criticism

What did Kane comment? 

Addressing the media on Sunday (Jun 23), Kane reminded the likes of Lineker that even they hadn't won anything for England during their playing days. 

"I'd never want to be disrespectful to any player, especially, you know, a player who's worn the shirt and knows what it's like to play for England. I always feel like [former players and pundits] have a responsibility. I know they've got to be honest and give their opinion, but also they have a responsibility of being an ex-England player," said Kane.

"The bottom line is, we haven't won anything as a nation for a long, long time. And, you know, a lot of these ex-players were part of that as well... they do know that it's tough to play in these major tournaments. It's tough to play for England," he added. 

After England played a miserable 1-1 draw against Denmark, Lineker criticised the team for sitting deep and inviting pressure from the opponents. 

"I mean, you can think of all sorts of words and expletives if you like, but it was sh*t," said Lineker, who also criticised manager Gareth Southgate. 

England are sitting at the top of Group C with four points in two matches. However, a place in the next round is far from being secured as a defeat against Slovenia could complicate matters. Southgate would need to get his midfield balance sorted if England are to challenge a dogged Slovenian team.  

(With inputs from agencies)