Liverpool LGBT fan group Kop Outs have said they are ‘appalled and concerned’ as Jordan Henderson considers a move to Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is illegal.
Henderson has been offered a staggering deal worth more than £700,000 per week to join Al-Ettifaq, who are managed by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.
The Liverpool captain is set to hold talks with manager Jurgen Klopp over the next 24 hours before deciding on the potential move.
Henderson has previously earned praise for his vocal commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community in football.
He was nominated for the ‘Football Ally’ at the LGBT+ Awards in 2021, having made headlines for his supportive tweet to Liverpool fan Keith Spooner during the Rainbow Laces campaign.
Jordan Henderson has previously been praised for his support of the LGBT+ community
Liverpool LGBT+ group Kop Outs criticised Henderson for considering a move to Saudi Arabia
Henderson is considered a £700,000-a-week offer to sign for Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq
The 33-year-old also expressed his support to an LGBTQ+ England fan in 2021.
LGBT fan group Kop Outs have expressed concerns that Henderson is considering a move to Saudi Arabia, despite being an ally.
The group also criticised Gerrard for his ‘participation in sportswashing’, citing his support to former LA Galaxy team-mate Robbie Rogers, who came out as gay in 2013.
Same-sex relationships are illegal in Saudi Arabia and women’s rights are subject to heavy restrictions.
‘Kop Outs have valued the allyship shown by Jordan Henderson,’ Kops Outs wrote.
‘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?
‘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.
Kop Outs criticised Gerrard, right, for his decision to become Al-Ettifaq manager having previously been vocal in his support of Robbie Rogers, left, who came out as gay in 2013
Liverpool lit up Anfield in the rainbow colours before a Premier League match last October as the club continued to show their support to the LGBT+ community
Henderson had earned praise for his public support to England fan Joe, who said they had been ‘petrified’ of attending a Three Lions’ game at Wembley prior to a match
‘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.’
The group had responded to a post highlighting a section of Henderson’s programme notes prior to a match in 2021, which saw clubs support the Rainbow Laces campaign that aims to show support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport.
Henderson had declared himself as ‘proud’ to be considered an ally and said it was important to stand alongside the LGBT+ 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,’ Henderson wrote.
‘You also have a responsibility to educate yourself better around the challenges they experience.
‘That’s where my own position on homophobia in football is rooted. Before I’m a footballer, I’m a parent, a husband, a son, a brother and a friend to the people in my life who matter so much to me. 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.’
Henderson had also referenced a conversation between Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Kop Outs founder Paul Amann, which followed homophobic chanting by fans in 2021.
Klopp and Amann had discussed the incident publicly in an attempt to stop fans from homophobic chanting.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk