EXCLUSIVE: Stonewall reacts to Jordan Henderson's Saudi Pro League transfer

Jacque Talbot

• 20 Jul 2023 12:00 BST
• 3 min read

Stonewall, the largest LGBT+ rights organisation in Europe, has spoken out ahead of Jordan Henderson's impending transfer to the Saudi Pro League.

Liverpool have agreed the sale of their captain to Al Ettifaq for an initial £12 million.

Saudi Pro League summer transfers 2023: All the Done Deals

The England international was left out of the Reds' first pre-season friendly amid ongoing interest and it appears that a deal is reaching a conclusion.

The veteran has been a staunch champion of LGBTQ+ rights throughout his career, notably supporting Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign. Given Saudi Arabia’s stance on sexuality, the move has seen Henderson branded a hypocrite by some critics.

Stonewall thank Henderson for support

FootballTransfers reached out to Stonewall for comment about the move.

Robbie de Santos, Director of External Affairs at Stonewall, told FootballTransfers: “We are grateful to Jordan Henderson for using his platform to stand up for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports and fitness, including by wearing our Rainbow Laces. In the ten years since our campaign started, public attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people in sport have improved considerably, and this is thanks in no small part to bold allyship from athletes such as Henderson.”

MORE: Why Man Utd and Liverpool want big match monster Amrabat

De Santos continued: “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."

Manager Jurgen Klopp claims he took the decision to omit the skipper from the side before Liverpool faced Karlsruher on Wednesday evening.

The German boss made clear that was his idea not to pick Henderson or Fabinho, who has also been linked with a move to the Pro League.

“In the end, all of these decisions are made by me,” said Klopp after the 4-2 win in Germany. “And because I respect the players a lot, it’s usually [with their] consent. It was in this case, and it is all fine.”

Henderson has enjoyed a rich 12-year Anfield career and looks set to join Al Ettifaq – the club coached by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.