Gary Lineker to take second refugee into home

He said he will ‘never be able to comprehend’ people ‘attacking’ him for doing so

Mr Lineker went through a charity to welcome a refugee named Rasheed to live with him in his home in Surrey last year (PA)

Gary Lineker has said he will welcome another refugee to live with him after the “wonderful experience” of doing so last year.

The former England striker told The Sun that he is “waiting on paperwork” and said that doing it the first time “wasn’t just a one-off like the public perception was. It’s genuine”.

Mr Lineker, who hosts BBC One’s Match of the Day, went through a charity to welcome a refugee named Rasheed to live with him in his home in Surrey last year.

Rasheed, who was from the Balochistan region between Pakistan and Iran, lived with Mr Lineker for 20 days and sent him a thank you letter upon leaving.

The former professional footballer said he got a lot out of homing a refugee last year, which is why he is planning to do it again.

And he told The Sun: “The refugee thing, I will never be able to comprehend being attacked for wanting to help people who are being bombed, who are risking their lives jumping on dinghies because they’re so desperate.

“How can anyone have a total lack of empathy for people in the most dire circumstances?

The 60-year-old has been critical of the government’s response to migrants attempting to cross the English and last year described the response as “heartless and completely without empathy”.