Jordan Henderson has been urged by Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ fan group to “stand by your words” and cancel his impending transfer to Saudi Pro League team Al Ettifaq.
After passing preliminary medical exams last Friday, the 33-year-old Liverpool captain is nearing a transfer to the Steven Gerrard-managed Saudi Pro League club. Only a few days earlier, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp had given Henderson the go-ahead to leave Liverpool’s preseason training camp in Germany.
Due to Henderson’s prior support of LGBQT+ rights and inclusivity in sports. The midfielder’s imminent move to the Middle Eastern state has been met with fierce opposition. However, same-sex marriage is not permitted in Saudi Arabia.
According to The Echo, Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ supporters group, Kop Outs, urged Henderson to uphold a promise he gave to the pioneer Paul Amann back in 2021 on social media on Wednesday morning.
The tweet read: “When Jordan Henderson met Paul Amann of Kop Outs in August 2021, Jordan said if there’s ever anything I can do to help, just ask.
“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.”
The Liverpool captain was challenged last week by Stonewall, the group behind the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign. He is urged to continue advocating for LGBQT+ rights even when his high-profile transfer to Al Ettifaq has been completed.
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“We can’t deny the reality of lives for the LGBTQ+ community in Saudi Arabia, and we hope that Henderson continues his work to build towards a world where sport is everybody’s game,” said Robbie de Santos, the director of external affairs at Stonewall.
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