According to Jordan Henderson, he does not comprehend why England fans turned against him on Friday night. During England’s 1-0 victory against Australia, the midfielder was jeered. This was a clear response to his choice to leave Liverpool for Saudi Arabia during the summer transfer window.
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English midfielder, Jordan Henderson unsure about boos from English fans
Jordan Henderson was formerly admired for being a steadfast supporter of inclusiveness and equality, especially for the LGBT community. However, given Saudi Arabia’s infamous human rights record, particularly with regard to homosexuality, moving to Al-Ettifaq has caused his social position to drastically decline.
After the friendly on Friday, Gareth Southgate came out in favor of Jordan Henderson. He stated that he didn’t understand why England fans had jeered the 33-year-old midfielder. Henderson, who led the team against the Australians as captain, finds it difficult to understand the backlash. Asked whether he understood supporters booing him, Henderson responded, ‘Not really. I don’t know… do you?
He continued, ‘Everybody has got their own opinion. I love playing for England, I have done for many years, that’s why I’m still here. I still want to play for England for as long as I possibly can and give everything for the team, for my country. It’s not nice, your own fans booing. But listen, people have got their own opinions. Whenever I bump into anyone on the street it’s always been positive stuff and nice things said.’
Jordan Henderson continued, ”It won’t change who I am and what I do for this team and for my country. I give absolutely everything every time. ‘If people want to boo if I’m playing in a different country, that’s fine. Everyone is going to have an opinion when I’m playing over in Saudi. I’ve spoken in the past about the reasons for that. Whether people believe me or not is up to them.’
Southgate supporting Henderson
The manager, Gareth Southgate has been supporting Jordan Henderson. The midfielder said, ‘The gaffer (Southgate) has been really good as always. I’ve always felt support and backing from him and the rest of the lads. So it’s nice to know that you’ve got the backing of the manager and your team-mates but that’s never been in doubt for me.’
Henderson was specifically asked if he had been startled by claims that he had betrayed the LGBT community. He said, ‘No, because I can understand the reasons in what they’re saying. I look at it from a different point of view, obviously. But I can understand it and I’ve got to take that on the chin. But as I keep on saying, it doesn’t change the person that I am.’
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Jordan also said, ‘I’m playing football in a different country in Saudi where I want to try to improve the game on the pitch but also things off the pitch as well. I’m not a politician. I’m not going to get into politics. All I’ve ever done is concentrate on my football and try to help people that have asked for my help.’
Jordan Henderson has received more criticism in recent days for his role in supporting Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid. He added, ‘I’ve been there for two months and there’s been no issues in terms of fans or anything like that. I think they’ll enjoy the experience there. When we look at Qatar, the way they did the job there – it was a good tournament. I think the fans enjoyed the tournament and I think Saudi would be no different.’
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