29 July 2023 , 16:46
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Al-Ettifaq have hidden hundreds of replies to their post announcing former Liverpool star Jordan Henderson's arrival as users sent in pictures of the midfielder wearing a rainbow armband.
Those photos had been taken during the Premier League's Rainbow Laces campaigns over the course of several seasons. Henderson had previously been a vocal ally for the LGBT+ community and frequently spoken out against homophobia in football.
He joined Al-Ettifaq on Thursday, with the team playing in the Saudi Pro League. Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia and is punishable by life imprisonment, deportation, flogging, beatings, torture and the death penalty.
Ettifaq have been keen to avoid the suggestion that Henderson supports the LGBT+ community, greying out the rainbow armband in their announcement video. That prompted a backlash, with hundreds of users replying with pictures of Henderson wearing a rainbow.
In posting Henderson in the LGBT+ supportive armband, one user wrote: "So excited for you Jordan. You've wanted to play for this club ever since you heard of their existence a few months ago. It's been your dream, clearly. I assume you'll be wearing your Rainbow Laces over there in Saudi Arabia?"
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Another added: "It seems as though you're having some kind of computer glitch. Your media guys have 'accidentally' greyed out the rainbow armband in EVERY photo you've used in the video. I'm sure this will have been accidental, definitely not on purpose, so here you go.... You can use this one."
Al-Ettifaq hid replies in which users posted Pride flags and photos of Henderson wearing a rainbow armbandA third wrote: "You can grey it out but you can’t hide it forever", along with an emoji of a rainbow and the Pride flag. Ettifaq's social media team responded by hiding these replies, as well as those in which users sent the Pride flag.
Former Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger, who came out in 2014, took aim at Henderson after the move was announced. Hitzlsperger questioned how Henderson could balance his previous support for the LGBT+ community with moving to a homophobic state.
“So Jordan Henderson finally gets his move to Saudi Arabia. Fair play to him, he can play wherever he wants to play. Curious to know though how the new brand JH will look like. The old one is dead!
"I did believe for a while that his support for the LGBT+ community would be genuine. Silly me. He’s [sic] gay mates are not safe if they want to watch him live. No one forced him to support the LGBT+ community. He chose to. Why??? Doesn’t make sense to me anymore."
Henderson has previously been the highest-profile footballer to support Rainbow Laces and LGBT+ rights in general. Back in October 2021, he talked about the importance of supporting and listening to the community.
"I do believe when you see something that is clearly wrong and makes another human being feel excluded you should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them. You also have a responsibility to educate yourself better around the challenges they experience," he said.
"The idea that any of them would feel excluded from playing or attending a football match, simply for being and identifying as who they are, blows my mind. The idea they’d have to hide from it to be accepted?
"But that’s exactly how too many members of the LGBT+ community feel. We know this because they tell us. So we should listen, support them and work to make it better."