Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier has announced that he has quit as a club ambassador following tweets he made over the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In a statement on Twitter, Le Tissier said: "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. 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."
Matt Le Tissier has quit his role as Southampton ambassador
Nick Potts
Le Tissier vowed to "always do anything I can to help the club"
Adam Davy
The former Premier League striker’s decision to step down came after he quote tweeted a post which claimed media organisations were lying about several topics, including weapons of mass destruction and the "truth about Bucha".
Le Tissier retracted the tweet, adding a post which read: “Deleted previous tweet as people as usual missing the point, the point was about the media manipulation but you knew that really.”
He posted again on Wednesday morning to make his stance clear.
“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," he added.
The 53-year-old has previously aired his controversial opinions on Covid-19, too.
A tweet from his account dated March 5, 2020 read: "Why scare the entire population with this coronavirus stuff.
"It’s only the elderly and people with existing conditions that are at risk but you’d think everyone was going to die by the way it’s being reported."