J. Henderson, criticized by LGBTQ+ communities: "We must respect every religion

2023-09-05 13:58 © „Reuters“

Jordan Henderson surprisingly left "Liverpool" team last summer and moved to the Saudi Arabian club "Al-Ettifaq".

Such a move by an experienced English player caused a lot of astonishment, especially among the LGBTQ+ community, whose representatives J. Henderson openly supported.

In Saudi Arabia, same-sex relationships are prohibited, and in the promotional video, the "Al-Ettifaq" club removed the rainbow-colored captain's armband from J. Henderson's arm.

J. Henderson himself decided to speak about his move to Saudi Arabia in an interview with "The Athletic", stating that he did not turn his back on the LGBTQ+ community, but at the same time emphasized the importance of respecting all religions and their rules.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone. I always try to help various communities. It hurts me deeply to hear comments from some communities that by moving to Saudi Arabia, I turned my back on them.

In this case, I can only apologize if someone feels that way. However, I certainly have not changed as a person.

I always tried to help the LGBTQ+ community. I played matches with rainbow-colored shoe laces and wore a special captain's armband. I also allowed the use of my name in fighting for LGBTQ+ rights.

Such comments really hurt me because I have friends and relatives who belong to the LGBTQ+ community," said J. Henderson.

The footballer also commented on the incident when "Al-Ettifaq" removed the rainbow-colored captain's armband in the promotional video.

"I really didn't know anything until that video was released publicly. I don't want to comment too much on it because it's simply religious aspects.

If I were to wear the rainbow-colored captain's armband in Saudi Arabia, it would be unfair from the perspective of the local religion. We must respect every religion or culture," added the Englishman.

J. Henderson also revealed that last summer he no longer felt needed by the "Liverpool" club, and moving to Saudi Arabia was not motivated by financial reasons.

"If someone in the club had said they wanted to keep me, then I definitely would have considered it. I can't say I was kicked out of the club, but I certainly no longer felt needed in Liverpool.

People can believe me or not, but money has never been the most important thing in my life," emphasized J. Henderson.