Jordan Henderson hit with LGBT+ criticism over potential Liverpool exit

Jordan Henderson has been hit with criticism from a Liverpool LGBT fan group over his potential move to Saudi Arabia.

The England midfielder is reportedly considering transferring to Al-Ettifaq to join up with his former teammate Steven Gerrard, who was announced as manager earlier this month.

Henderson is reportedly considering a £700,000 per week offer to join the side.

The 33-year-old has been vocal about supporting LGBT+ initiatives in the past, and the potential move to Saudi Arabia – where homosexuality is illegal – has attracted controversy.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Henderson made headlines back in 2021 when he tweeted his support of non-binary England fan Joe White after White shared their experiences attending games. He also shared a message of support for a gay Liverpool fan during the club’s Rainbow Laces campaign in 2020. Henderson was subsequently nominated for 'Football Ally' at the LGBT+ Awards.

The Liverpool LGBT+ group, the Kop Outs, posted on Twitter: “Kop Outs have valued the allyship shown by Jordan Henderson.

“We are appalled and concerned that anyone might consider working for a #sportswashing operation for a regime where women & LGBT+ people are oppressed & that regularly tops the world death sentence table?”

They added: “Gerrard's participation in this sportswashing is particularly galling given his previous support for LA Galaxy teammate Robbie Rogers.

“When someone's made a fortune, should money tempt them to go to work? Maybe they should be asking themselves those questions.

“We hope that Jordan Henderson proves to be a man of his word and stays true to the values of our club, which so far he has been an absolute embodiment of.”

Henderson has played 360 games for Liverpool since joining in 2011. He has also been capped 77 times for England.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.