Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier quits ambassador role to ‘separate the work I believe in from my relationship with the club’ following backlash over Twitter posts about war in Ukraine
Matt Le Tissier has stepped down from his role as a Southampton club ambassador following a backlash over recent posts on Twitter.
The St Mary’s legend has become known for publicly airing his outspoken views in recent years, and talkSPORT understands the Premier League side had been speaking to Le Tissier about his social media activity for some time.
The former England international’s exit from his beloved club comes following a controversial Twitter post on the war in Ukraine.
Le Tissier on Tuesday shared a conspiracy theory regarding what appear to be intentional killings of civilians in Bucha and other towns before Russian forces withdrew from the outskirts of Kyiv.
The tweet also suggested media manipulation in the reporting on the war in Ukraine, and led to a major backlash against the Southampton hero.
The 53-year-old later deleted the post, claiming people had ‘missed the point’, following criticism from the likes of England hero Gary Lineker and comedian David Baddiel.
Guernsey-born Le Tissier, who scored 209 goals in 540 appearances for the Saints, then announced his decision ‘step aside’ from his position at St Mary’s, saying he took the step to ‘separate the work I believe in from my relationship with the club’.
He wrote: "To all the fans of SFC. I have decided to step aside from my role as an ambassador of SFC. My views are my own and always have been, and it's important to take this step today to avoid any confusion.
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"This does not affect my relationship with and love for my club, and I will always remain a fan and supporter of everything Saints.
"I can, however, see that due to recent events it's important to separate the work I believe in from my relationship with the club I have supported and played for most of my life.
"I will see you all at St Mary's and will always do anything I can to help the club."
In a separate update on Wednesday morning, Le Tissier posted: “Let me make something very clear; I do not advocate war in any way shape or form. I do not advocate anyone taking lives of others and anyone who commits such acts should be dealt with accordingly, any atrocities leave devastating effects on the families of the victims and us all."
According to talkSPORT sources, Southampton had been speaking to Le Tissier about his social media activity for some time.
The station was also told the former striker ‘knew either he went on his own accord or Southampton would have to do it, and that would have been a lot worse for him and the club’.
Southampton were aware of the criticism of his tweets regarding the Russian invasion, and is it claimed Le Tissier ‘realised it [stepping away from the Saints] was the right thing to do’.