Le Tissier claims Sky Sports sacked him for views but insists "I'm not a nutter"

Matt Le Tissier's latest conspiracy theory leads him to believe that Sky Sports sacked him due to his controversial beliefs and insists: "I ain't a stupid human being!"

The Southampton legend had been a mainstay on Sky Sports News' iconic show Soccer Saturday, but in August 2020 - along with fellow ex-pundits Charlie Nicholas and Phil Thompson - he was removed from the line-up. A Sky statement shortly after the change-up read: "We are changing some parts of our football coverage - Matt, Charlie and Phil have done a great job for us over the years, and they will leave us with our sincere thanks and very best wishes."

However, Le Tissier, who this week stood down from his ambassadorial role at Southampton, claims there was an ulterior motive behind his removal. Le Tissier has often been accused of spreading conspiracy theories since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, once suggesting that images of people infected in China looked "inauthentic".

He claims he got into researching theories behind the pandemic during the first lockdown which made him "question the narrative" offered by mainstream media. And speaking to the AJ Roberts show last month, he thinks that's the reason the broadcaster removed him from his post.

"I went into working in the media from 2002 onwards until late August 2020, which was an interesting scenario where I lost my job," he explained. "Obviously the pandemic started in 2020 in March - and very early on in that I had my doubts as to what was really going on.

"I felt early on there was a massive overreaction to it by the governments. And that's where it all started for me with questioning the narrative and probably ended up with me losing my job at Sky."

The Saints icon has also been vocal over what he sees as a dramatic increase in cardiac issues with professional footballers, adding: "I ain't a stupid human being, I know this is not the same as what has gone on before. I've not seen this volume of incidents on football pitches. Sorry mate, you're deluding yourself if you think that this is the same as whatever happened in the 17 years I was a professional footballer. Shocking."

Le Tissier hit the headlines again this week when he seemed to back a conspiracy theory regarding the massacre of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha. The former striker appeared to claim that the media had 'lied' about the harrowing images and stories that have emerged from the conflict after re-tweeting a conspiracy theory with a finger-pointing emoji captioned with 'This'. The tweet has since been deleted.

The post led to widespread fury on the social media site, subsequently confirming he had ended his professional relationship with the club he spent his entire playing career with. "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."

Mirror Football approached Sky Sports for comment.