Graeme Souness fires blunt message to Jordan Henderson over Saudi move backlash
Jordan Henderson will simply have to deal with the negative consequences of his move to Saudi Arabia according to Graeme Souness, who has little sympathy for the midfielder.
Henderson swapped Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq over the summer, cashing in on the Saudi football gold rush to join up with Steven Gerrard. The transfer sparked an almighty backlash with Liverpool fans angry at his choice, while LGBT+ football supporters also questioned the move.
The 33-year-old had previously fronted campaigns around LGBT+ issues in support and was seen as an ally of the cause. But his move to a country where LGBT+ people face the death penalty sparked a wave of criticism.
His subsequent interview in which he tried to explain his decision only made things worse and he was booed by a section of fans during England’s 1-0 friendly win over Australia. Henderson was defended by his England team-mate Harry Maguire, who said those who booed the midfielder were not “proper fans”.
But Souness has taken an entirely different stance to Maguire, writing for the Daily Mail : “When Jordan Henderson was booed by a section of England fans, a saying my mum used to tell me sprung to mind – ‘You’ve made your bed, son, lie in it’.
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“He has got himself in trouble because of his professed allegiance to LGBTQ+, Rainbow Laces and every other great cause he wanted to be associated with. Then, you go and take Saudi money. That, I’m afraid, is his problem. He is being viewed as not genuine. If you do that, you have to take the consequences.”
Graeme Souness has little sympathy with Jordan Henderson (Getty Images)Speaking to Mirror Football, a spokesperson for Three Lions Pride said: "Gatekeeping football to what a player believes makes a 'proper' fan harks back to a time where LGBT+ fans weren’t welcome and excludes people from the beautiful game. Fans are the soul of the game, without us there is no atmosphere.
"Attempting to silence our voice can only create a hollow environment. Why do members of the England squad feel the need to diminish the voice of fans because they seemingly don’t agree? Our views are very open and clear, for anyone to see.”
Henderson has previously supported the Rainbow Laces campaign. Asked if he would continue to do so while playing in Saudi Arabia, he told The Athletic : "I wouldn’t rule that out. But at the same time, what I wouldn’t do is disrespect the religion and culture in Saudi Arabia. And by doing something like that, if that did disrespect the religion, then no, I’m not going to do that.
"But if the opportunity comes where I can do it and it doesn’t, then yeah, because that’s my values. I think people know what my views and values were before I left and still do now. And I think having someone with those views and values in Saudi Arabia is only a positive thing. I can understand the frustration. I can understand the anger. I get it. All I can say around that is that I’m sorry that they feel like that.”
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