Le Tissier says he has ‘zero regrets’ about his conspiracy theories
- Former Southampton striker Matt Le Tissier was sacked by Sky Sports in 2020
- He blamed his dismissal on his controversial views, but says he has no regrets
- IAN LADYMAN: If I needed a new heart, I’d want Harry Maguire’s! Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
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Matt Le Tissier has insisted he has no regrets over his controversial behaviour on social media, despite claiming it cost him his punditry job at Sky Sports.
Le Tissier was axed by the broadcaster in August 2020 alongside fellow Soccer Saturday panellists Charlie Nicholas and Phil Thompson, and later blamed his dismissal on his refusal to wear a BLM badge and his views on Covid-19.
The former Southampton striker was criticised for sharing anti-vaccine conspiracy theories in 2021, with Professor Keith Neal, an expert in public health at the University of Nottingham, accusing him of putting lives at risk by encouraging people to not get the jab.
He was also slammed by fans the following year for spreading conspiracy theories about the Ukraine war, where he appeared to claim Russia’s massacre in Bucha had been blown out of proportion, before later deleting his tweet.
And he wasn’t done there, as he posted a thread questioning the legitimacy of the 9/11 disaster. His former Soccer Saturday colleague Jeff Stelling slammed Le Tissier’s post for being ‘total and absolute b*******’ before it was later deleted, and then added: ‘Sorry if there was any ambiguity. I disagree with Tiss 100 per cent’.
The two men recently sat down for an episode of the podcast Football’s Greatest With Jeff Stelling, and Le Tissier was quizzed on his use of social media. He offered a defiant response.
‘I don’t regret doing what I’ve done, even though it’s cost me stuff. I would do exactly the same thing again because I think it’s the right thing to do,’ he said.
‘I think as a society we’ve gone down a very dangerous path, and I think people need to try to understand just how close we are to being run by very tyrannical people who don’t have the best interests of humanity at heart. And that’s the basis for everything that I’ve done, really.
‘You can go into the little bits and pieces about it, but ultimately, that’s the biggest reason. I don’t have a single regret for standing up for what I believe in, and if that costs me money then so be it, which it has.
‘The funniest thing about it is I get people calling me out on social media going “you’re a shill!” And I’m like “right, so you think I’m doing this for money” when I’ve probably sacrificed about 50 per cent of what I was earning three or four years ago. That doesn’t make sense.
‘But, as I said, wouldn’t change a thing. I’d do the same thing again if I had to.’
Despite being criticised by his friend Stelling for his views on the 9/11 disaster, Le Tissier has continued to express his controversial beliefs in recent months.
The 55-year-old launched a bizarre attack on David Beckham in November after coming across a photo the former England captain had taken with Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates the previous year.
Speaking to former Premier League footballer David Cotterill, Le Tissier said: ‘My stomach turned when I saw that picture of David Beckham with Bill Gates.
‘I mean, seriously, why? You were a good footballer, David, you weren’t great. You weren’t world-class. You were a very, very good footballer at what you did, you were very good.
‘Why are you getting involved with that bloke for? Do you have any idea what crimes he’s committed?’
This followed on from Le Tissier implying back in 2021 that Gates could be linked to the death of Tanzania president John Magafuli.
Magafuli died in March 2021 of reported heart complications just days after the country’s Prime Minister had declared he was ‘healthy and working hard’.
Le Tissier subsequently posted a screenshot of an article by The Guardian that had criticised Magafuli’s anti-vaxxer stance shortly before his death, and pointed out the piece was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gates has never been convicted or even charged with any crimes and is widely heralded for his philanthropy.
