Neil Warnock tells Gary Lineker to ‘f*** off’ after snubbing Match of the Day interview request

The Cardiff City manager launched into an outburst in response to an alleged nickname that Lineker calls him

Neil Warnock’s emotion at coping with the disappearance of Cardiff City striker Emiliano Sala appeared to boil over on Saturday after he was caught telling Gary Lineker and Match of the Day to “f*** off” following their interview request.

A tearful Warnock broke down in front of the Cardiff supporter after their 2-0 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday, which represented the club’s first victory since Sala’s plane went missing over the English Channel on Monday 21 January.

Officials leading the search to discover what happened to the aircraft that was carrying Cardiff’s £15m club-record signing as well as 60-year-old pilot David Ibbotson reached a breakthrough on Sunday as the located the wreckage of the aeroplane, with efforts set to begin this week for an underwater search.

It has been a difficult two weeks at Cardiff as they cope with the loss of the 28-year-old, who is feared dead, and that emotion boiled over for Warnock in an outburst aimed at Lineker in particular.

Warnock appeared to be angered by a nickname that the former England striker allegedly has for him, with Warnock making reference to “Colin” that is in reference to “Colin W****r”, which is an anagram of his real name.

"Match of the Day? Tell Gary Lineker to f*ck off," Warnock was heard saying on BBC television in Canada when he was unaware the camera was rolling.

"He calls me Colin. Can I say, 'Colin here'?"

Warnock did still give an interview to the BBC but snubbed speaking directly to Lineker in the Match of the Day studio, as has become a regular feature of the show with one manager or player each week.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Warnock took the time to pay tribute to how his squad have coped with recent events, with the victory lifting Cardiff to just two points away from moving out of the relegation zone.

Watch the video below.

"The crowd were amazing all the way around," Warnock added. "It has been a very emotional 10 days. It just got to me in the end. It can’t be helped, can it?

"I thought [the players] were amazing. I thought they were at Arsenal.

Neil Warnock was seen telling Gary Lineker to ‘f*** off’ after requesting an interview for Match of the Day (PA)

The 2-0 victory over Bournemouth was an emotional one for Cardiff (Reuters)

"Today wasn’t just about surviving, I thought we played well as well because they’re a decent team Bournemouth."