05 September 2023 , 08:28
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Jordan Henderson claims he "didn't know anything" about Al-Ettifaq greying out his rainbow armband during his announcement video on social media.
The former Liverpool captain opted to leave Anfield to take up a lucrative offer in Saudi Arabia, which attracted plenty of criticism, not least because of his allegiance with the LGBTQ community. Henderson often wore a rainbow armband whilst at Anfield, but homosexuality is illegal in the country.
Al-Ettifaq chose to announce his signing with an array of greyed out photos, which meant his rainbow armband was no longer visible. Henderson wasn't aware that would happen, but also claimed he now had to respect the values of the country he worked and lived in.
He told the Athletic : "I didn’t know anything about it until it was out. And it’s hard for me to know and understand everything because it is part of the religion. So if I wear the rainbow armband, if that disrespects their religion, then that’s not right either. Everybody should be respectful of religion and culture. That’s what I think we’re all trying to fight for here in terms of inclusion and everything.
"You know, years ago, for instance, women or kids probably couldn’t play football, but now I’m over there and there’s loads of women and girls playing football, so slowly things can change. I can’t promise anything, but what I can do is sit here and say I have my values and beliefs. And I strongly believe that me playing in Saudi Arabia is a positive thing."
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Henderson has joined up with former Reds team-mate Steven Gerrard, who opted to take the managers job at Al-Ettifaq in the summer. The 33-year-old, who has continued to be picked for England despite heading to the Middle East, has maintained that playing in Saudi is a positive given his views.
Jordan Henderson often wore a rainbow coloured captain's armband at Liverpool (Getty Images)
The player's announcement saw Al-Ettifaq grey out the rainbow armband (Twitter@https://twitter.com/Ettifaq_EN)That said, On the eve of his move, LGBTQ Liverpool fans group Kop Outs made a late plea as they hoped to persuade Henderson into makie a u-turn. They referred to a meeting between the England star and one of their members at the start of the 2021-22 season.
"When @JHenderson met Paul Amann of Kop Outs in August 2021, Jordan said if there's ever anything I can do to help, just ask," the group tweeted. "So the ask is to stand by your words as a professed ally & champion of #LGBT + rights, of women's rights and of basic human dignity. Don't go to Saudi."
Henderson addressed the criticism but maintained he had made the decision for football reasons. He said: "I can understand the frustration. I can understand the anger. I get it," he added. "All I can say around that is that I’m sorry that they feel like that. My intention was never, ever to hurt anyone."