Matthew Le Tissier announced this week that he will be stepping down as an Ambassador for Southampton Football Club after a controversial tweet sparked an outcry. However the irony of his decision is not lost on some Saints supporters.
Matthew Le Tissier is and will always remain a legend of Southampton Football Club, but he stepped down as an Ambassador of the club after a series of tweets that have not been in line with conventional thinking on both the Covid 19 situation and recently the crisis and war in Ukrainia.
Speaking on Twitter he said
"To all the fans of sfc [Southampton Football Club]. 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."
Since becoming an ambassador in 2019, Le Tissier has been involved with a number of club activities in the community, including volunteering at local food distribution centre FareShare. He did this during the first lockdown in 2020 and has continued to be a part of Southampton's efforts to support the local community during the two years of the pandemic so far.
But his tweets on firstly the Covid 19 pandemic and more recently the war in Ukraine have raised a few eyebrows.
But the irony here is that the events in Ukraine and indeed the issues in Russian where it is claimed that their media is being supressed and not allowed to tell the truth about the War actually highlight a few things.
I have to say here that I am not condoning anything that Le Tissier has said on his twitter feeds, I don't go on that social media platform and therefore I don't know for sure what he is saying other that snippets reported in the media.
From what i have seen in those stories i have to say I don't seem to agree with him on what he has been saying,
But what I do believe is that he has the right to say it and surely that is what the citizens of Ukraine are fighting for, the right for freedom both of body & mind, the right to be able to say what you want (within reason) and when you want, without fear of retribution.
So I find it ironic that as the media carries stories of the truth being suppressed, that we are turning on someone for expressing an opinion.
In truth he has said little controversial and that isn't being spouted by others, most of the tweets I have seen in the media have been little more than questions.
He is not being offensive to the citizens of Bucha for instance, he is just expressing an opinion and although I disagree with that opinion I stand up for his right to express his opinion no matter how much I disagree.
Of course there are opinions that are offensive and do need to be stood up against, but Le Tissier's quotes on Twitter do not seem to fall into that category, they are not racist, homophobic or advocating violence, they are just saying that he does not believe what he is being told by certain parties and he has a right to do that.
It is perhaps right he stands down as an Ambassador for Saints , after all he is representing them and some people might think that his view if that of Southampton Football Club.
When I see a viewpoint I do not agree with, I don't demand it be removed, personally I like to see it challenged, if we sweep peoples opinions under the carpet then nothing changes, especially that person themselves, if you challenge the view then you might just change their opinion and if not certainly some that might otherwise have agreed.
This is nothing to do with sticking up for a club legend, it is the way that the Ugly Inside has run for the past 34 years both as a fanzine and a website, it is about giving a platform for Saints supporters to express their views on the club, even when we don't agree with that view ourselves.
That is my thinking in life, I might not like what someone says, but I defend their right to say it ( again with the usual exceptions of racism and homophobia etc)
If you disagree with Matt Le Tissier on his views then challenge him on his twitter feed, but don't silence him as mentioned in this terrible time for the World and of course Ukrainia silencing both media and individuals achieves nothing.