SAINTS legend Matt Le Tissier will not face criminal prosecution over a £10,000 betting scam he claims to have been involved with, the Daily Echo can reveal.

As reported earlier this month, police were considering whether to launch an investigation into the Southampton Football Club hero after he made the allegations in his own autobiography.

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However they have now ruled it would not be in the public interest to pursue an enquiry that would almost certainly be very costly and time consuming.

Le Tissier admitted he conspired with friends and a team-mate, who he did not name, to cash in on a spread bet on the timing of the first thrown-in during the match.

Hampshire police were made aware of the claims following the publication of the ghost-written book, called Taking Le Tiss.

They immediately talked to the Football Association and then referred the matter to the Crown Prosecution Service.

A spokesman for Hampshire police today confirmed: "Following discussions with the CPS a decision has been made not to investigate an alleged historic and unsuccessful spread betting incident at a Saints football match in the 1990s.

"Discussions with CPS have led to the conclusion that an investigation into the incident would not be in the public interest and does not represent appropriate use of police resources.

"The incident itself was brought to the attention of the police after it was mentioned in a recently published auto-biography."

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