Gary Lineker sarcastically hits back at former footballer Matt Le Tissier for his latest controversial Covid conspiracy tweet asking ‘why didn’t we try this hard to defeat flu?’
- Matt Le Tissier often tweets conspiracy theories about the Covid-19 pandemic
- Gary Lineker hit back at him after he asked ‘why didn’t we try this hard with flu?’
- Over 15 million people were vaccinated against the flu in the year before Covid
- It is not the first time ex-striker Le Tissier has caused controversy on social media
Matt Le Tissier has courted controversy on social media with his views on Covid-19
Gary Lineker has hit back at fellow ex-England footballer Matt Le Tissier following his latest controversial tweet about Covid-19.
Le Tissier, a legend at Southampton after making over 500 appearances for them, has ruffled plenty of feathers on social media since the start of the pandemic by sharing various conspiracy theories about the virus.
In his latest message on Twitter, Le Tissier asked ‘Why didn’t we ever try this hard to “defeat” flu? It has a similar fatality rate to “covid” and actually affects younger people more? Answers on a postcard.’
Sarcastically replying to his fellow television pundit, Lineker wrote: ‘Yeah Matt, why didn’t someone come up with a flu vaccine?’
Gary Lineker sarcastically hit back at Le Tissier’s latest tweet on the subject of the flu
In the UK, more than 14 million people were given their flu jabs in the year before Covid-19 struck, and there are aims to double that number in the coming months of 2021.
Le Tissier’s tweet, in which he asked for ‘answers on a postcard’, restricted replies so that nobody could give him an answer directly.
The 52-year-old, who has over half a million followers on the social media account, used the same restriction to a previous Covid conspiracy tweet, concerning the death of Tanzania’s president John Magufuli.
Lineker responded by saying: ‘Yeah Matt, why didn’t someone come up with a flu vaccine?’
Le Tissier asked for ‘answers on a postcard’ but stopped users from replying to the tweet
Previously, the Southampton legend has tweeted other Covid-19 conspiracy theories
Magafuli’s death was announced in March following heart complications, and he was reported to have contracted Covid-19 in the days before his death, which has not been confirmed.
The 61-year-old was a renowned ‘anti-vaxxer’ and had previously declared Tanzania as Covid-free in June 2020, following three days of national prayer.
He had also expressed doubts about testing and the wearing of masks.
Le Tissier’s tweet included a screenshot of a Guardian article titled ‘It’s time for Africa to rein in Tanzania’s anti-vaxxer president’, which also included a line underneath the headline stating: ‘Global development is supported by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.’
Alongside the screenshot, the ex-England striker wrote: ‘And a couple of weeks later he’s dead. These coincidences are quite amazing but of course that’s just what they are, coincidences.
‘The sponsors of the article you ask, nah just another coincidence.’
Back in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, Le Tissier tweeted: ‘Why scare the entire population with this corona virus stuff.
‘It’s only the elderly and people with existing conditions that are at risk but you’d think everyone was going to die by the way it’s being reported.’