Matt Le Tissier steps down from Southampton role after Ukraine tweet

'My views are my own and always have been...'

Former footballer Matt Le Tissier has announced he is to step down from his role as an ambassador for Southampton Football Club. Le Tissier posted a tweet on Tuesday which suggested media manipulation in the reporting of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, specifically in relation to the massacre of civilians in the town of Bucha, close to Kyiv. After receiving fierce backlash in response to it, the tweet was later deleted.

Le Tissier deleted controversial tweet on Tuesday.

Le Tissier had shared a post from an account named Unity News Net, which claimed events in Ukraine had been falsified by the media after 'weapons of mass destruction', 'Covid' and 'the Hunter Biden laptop'. He captioned his tweet 'This', using a downward finger-pointing emoji.

Le Tissier stopped short of apologising.

Returning to Twitter on Wednesday, Le Tissier stopped short of apologising for his earlier tweet, but confirmed he was stepping aside from his role at Southampton, citing it was important to make clear his views are his own. He tweeted: 'To all fans of sfc. I have decided to step aside from my role as an ambassador for 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. https://twitter.com/mattletiss7/status/1511630417505538052 '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.' Le Tissier spent the entirety of his professional football career at Southampton, earning eight caps for England in the process.