Le Tissier raised Carragher query with Sky Sports when he was told he was sacked

Matt Le Tissier says he demanded answers as to why Sky Sports still employ Jamie Carragher after the Southampton legend was sacked back in August 2020.

The former England midfielder was relieved of his pundit duties almost two years ago alongside ex-Arsenal man Charlie Nicholas and Phil Thompson. It was a decision that was slammed by fans and prompted huge backlash from loyal viewers as Sky Sports refreshed their team with the likes of Michael Dawson and Kris Boyd coming in.

Le Tissier has previously spoken about his dismissal and claimed it may have been down to his controversial opinions about the coronavirus pandemic and how the government dealt with lockdown restrictions.

But the 53-year-old opened up about the chat he had with Sky Sports when he was told he was going to be sacked, confirming he asked why Carragher is still employed after he spat at a car containing a 14-year-old girl.

"Within five seconds I was told there was no more work for me at Sky," Le Tissier said on ' The Rob Moore podcast'. "I had about seven months left to run on my contract but I was told that I wouldn't be needed anymore.

"They didn't really give a particular reason, they just said 'the show was going in a different direction', they were the words I think they used. So I asked the question, does this have anything to do with my posts on social media?

"To which their reply was, 'well we have to take into account the reputation of the company when making these decisions.' At which point I said 'oh that's interesting, because at the moment, you are employing somebody who spat at a girl from his car'.

"Jamie Carragher, who spat at a young girl through his car. They suspended him for six months and then brought him back into the fold. I said 'do you not think that might have harmed the reputation of the company at all' and I got told 'we can't talk about other people on this' so that was it really."

Carragher apologised for the incident which was caught on camera after Liverpool lost 2-1 against Manchester United in the 2017/18 Premier League campaign. He was suspended from the company before returning for the start of the following season as the Reds challenged Manchester City for the title.