Henderson's "small-minded idiots” ready to pay him a sheikh’s ransom

In an interview with The Athletic in 2019 Henderson had said: “This campaign is important if there are still supporters out there who don’t feel they can be themselves or, even worse, have to hide who they are for fear of getting abuse or being discriminated against.

He added, “As long as even one supporter questions whether they are welcome or can enjoy football because of their sexuality, the campaign is important. It sends the message: you are welcome, we are on your side and the small minded idiots who make you feel uncomfortable have no place in football. Simple as that.

Now those “small-minded idiots” are now ready to pay him a sheikh’s ransom, as Henderson considers helping glorify a regime whose draconian stance on homosexuality forces gay people into exile.

For several years, Henderson distinguished himself as one of the few male footballers prepared to act and speak in support of the LGBTQI+ community. During the European Championship in 2021, Henderson wore rainbow laces while scoring his first goal for England. He has previously spoken to both Liverpool’s in-house platforms and external media about the issue. In April 2021, it earned him a nomination on the shortlist to be “Football Ally” of the year at the British LGBT Awards.

Al Ettifaq is funded by the regime’s Public Investment Fund , where consensual same-sex acts are criminalised. Good luck, therefore, to anyone deluded enough to think a few liberally-minded footballers may hop over and be permitted to start up their own gay liberation campaign.

Liverpool LGBT+ fan group called Kop released a statement on May 28 as the deal gathered momentum expressing total disbelief. They said, “We are appalled and concerned that anyone might consider working for a sportswashing operation for a regime where women & LGBT+ people are oppressed and that regularly tops the world death sentence table.”

“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.”

The reactions from Liverpool’s LGBTQI+ group and others around the world , has been understandably emotional. Here is a famous person, failing to practice as he preaches, encouraging the public to do as I say, not as I do. For some, sportsmen inspire a loyalty, devotion and connection that few others can match, the pain will be sincere. To these people, Henderson, who also earned an MBE for his services to charity, really did seem different. For fans of clubs other than Liverpool, the criticism will be laced with truth but also intensified by tribal one-upmanship where some may seek to opportunistically impose their own virtue.

At 33, Henderson is entitled to see out the autumn of his career wherever he sees fit, especially when Saudi Arabia’s Al Ettifaq are dangling a ludicrously inflated contract in front of him. But as soon as he takes the riyals he forfeits his right to be celebrated as a man of unimpeachable integrity. If you are going to accept award shortlistings for your principles and values, then you had better stay true to them. Otherwise your entire crusade ends up at best cosmetic, at worst downright self-serving.

There is a happy-ever-after version to all of this, where we pretend that these sporting events and increased engagement with liberals all lead to a relaxation of laws and freedoms in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, but the theory that sport is a gateway drug for democracy has now been comprehensively debunked by, for example, the 2008 Olympics and 2022 winter Olympics in Beijing, the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as well as numerous set-piece UEFA events for Hungary and Azerbaijan. Not that it stops the vast array of expensively assembled public relations merchants (almost always from Western companies) using this fig leaf as a moral justification.

Questions will continue to be asked, eyebrows will be raised, the cancel culture will have it feast. For groups like the Kop Out, It is easy to make peace with Henderson’s ex teammate, Roberto Firminho joining Al-Ahli given the Brazilian never made any statement in support of gay people while at Liverpool. For Henderson, his personal reputational damage is more severe.