Controversial Le Tissier Bucha tweet amid Ukraine-Russia turmoil leads to him stepping down from role as Southampton ambassador

Former England midfielder Matt Le Tissier has stepped down from his role as a Southampton ambassador after causing controversy with a Twitter post.

Le Tissier has drawn criticism in the past, perhaps most notably when he linked to a conspiracy theorist's view that Christian Eriksen's on-field cardiac arrest may have been linked to the Covid-19 vaccination.

And he is again under fire after retweeting a post that questioned the validity of media reports of alleged Russian war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

What was the tweet?

In the wake of Russian soldiers being accused of genocide amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the tweet read: "The media lied about Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Media lied about Covid. The media lied about the Hunter Biden laptop."

Before sarcastically adding: "But honestly they are telling the truth about Bucha!"

Le Tissier has since deleted the tweet, stating that people "missed the point, the point was about media manipulation".

He went on to say that he "decided to step aside" from his role as a Southampton ambassador.

Le Tissier added: "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.

"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."

Further reading

• Stop Putin! Save Ukrainian children - Zinchenko
• Ukraine goalkeeper Trubin: I want this nightmare to end
• I could take two or three enemies out, says Ukraine boss