Current:Home > MyHenderson apologizes to LGBTQ+ community for short-lived Saudi stay after moving to Ajax-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Henderson apologizes to LGBTQ+ community for short-lived Saudi stay after moving to Ajax
View Date:2024-12-23 23:18:00
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Jordan Henderson apologized Friday to the LGBTQ+ community that fiercely criticized his transfer from Liverpool to Al-Ettifaq, a day after turning his back on his lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia.
“If any people from that community feel let down or hurt, I apologize, as I did six months ago,” he told reporters at the Johan Cruyff Arena as he was introduced as Ajax’s new midfielder. “That was never my intention.”
Henderson’s decision to play in Saudi sparked a backlash from the LGBTQ+ community in England, where he had demonstrated support for inclusivity by wearing rainbow-colored laces as part of an initiative by LGBTQ+ campaign group Stonewall. Shortly after his move, he was booed by England fans at Wembley when he was substituted during a friendly match against Australia.
He now plays for a club based in Amsterdam, a city long known as a bastion of tolerance for the LGBTQ+ community.
Asked if he regretted moving to the Saudi league, Henderson was evasive.
“In life, you know, you can, if you want to, call them regrets or mistakes. You can call them that,” Henderson told reporters in Amsterdam.
“But at the same time, you know, they’re only mistakes if you don’t learn from them,” he added.
The 33-year-old Henderson is the highest-profile recruit to quit the Saudi league. He was among a slew of top players, led by Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, who moved to the kingdom on big-money deals.
Asked if he would advise former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah against following in their footsteps, he said: “Definitely not.”
Egypt striker Salah has repeatedly been linked with a possible move to Saudi Arabia.
Henderson was speaking at his first press conference since terminating his contract with Al-Ettifaq and signing a two and a half year-contract with four-time European champion Ajax.
A day earlier, the Saudi league’s interim CEO, Saad Allazeez, sought to play down Henderson’s departure.
“This is all just part of football, all across the world and life, across all careers. Sometimes despite best efforts people don’t always adjust or settle and that can impact performances and lead to frustrations for all,” he said.
There are two things Henderson won’t get in Amsterdam — the captain’s armband and a shirt with 14 on the back, the number he wore for Liverpool. The 14 shirt was worn by Ajax legend Johan Cruyff and was retired when his playing days ended.
Henderson, who was played 81 times for England, is also hoping that a return to European soccer means his name will be in the mix when coach Gareth Southgate builds a squad for this summer’s European Championship in Germany.
“It’s a big, big thing playing for my country, as everybody knows and ... that’s always been the case wherever I’ve played,” he said.
The allure for Ajax is obvious. The young team has had a tumultuous year, slipping to the foot of the Eredivisie after its’ worst ever start to the season. When former player John van ‘t Schip took over from Maurice Steijn, he ushered in a change of fortunes that saw the team rise to fifth in the league.
But any hopes of adding to the club’s Dutch record 36 league titles this year appear to be long gone, even with Henderson beefing up the midfield. Runaway leader PSV Eindhoven is 23 points clear of fifth-placed Ajax and holds a perfect record of 17 wins in 17 Eredivisie matches this season.
The move to Amsterdam will mean a big pay cut for Henderson. Salaries at Ajax are lower than in other major European leagues, though the team has raised wages in recent years in a bid to stay competitive with big-spending clubs elsewhere in Europe.
He denied that moving to Ajax was partly motivated by a desire to avoid a large tax bill in England.
“It had nothing to do with anything else other than a football decision,” he said.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
veryGood! (46558)
Related
- Georgia House Democrats shift toward new leaders after limited election gains
- Florida under NCAA investigation year after failed NIL deal with QB signee Jaden Rashada
- Judge orders release of ‘Newburgh Four’ defendant and blasts FBI’s role in terror sting
- Judge orders release of ‘Newburgh Four’ defendant and blasts FBI’s role in terror sting
- Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight odds will shift the longer the heavyweight bout goes
- Holly Madison Reveals Why Girls Next Door Is Triggering to Her
- Small plane makes emergency landing on snowy Virginia highway
- Islanders fire coach Lane Lambert, replace him with Patrick Roy
- Michael Grimm, former House member convicted of tax fraud, is paralyzed in fall from horse
- Lamar Jackson has failed to find NFL playoff success. Can Ravens QB change the narrative?
Ranking
- John Krasinski named People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2024
- 37 Massachusetts communities to get disaster aid for last year’s flooding
- Iran launches satellite that is part of a Western-criticized program as regional tensions spike
- Opinion: George Carlin wasn't predictable, unlike AI
- Dwayne Johnson Admits to Peeing in Bottles on Set After Behavior Controversy
- Get 86% off Peter Thomas Roth, Tarte, It Cosmetics, Bareminerals, and More From QVC’s Master Beauty Class
- Jaafar Jackson shows off iconic Michael Jackson dance move as he prepares to film biopic
- Endangered Whale ‘Likely to Die’ After Suspected Vessel Strike. Proposed NOAA Rules Could Prevent Future Collisions, Scientists Say
Recommendation
-
MLS playoff teams set: Road to MLS Cup continues with conference semifinals
-
North Carolina school board backs away from law on policies on pronouns, gender identity instruction
-
Two British warships collided in a Middle East port. No one was injured but damaged was sustained
-
Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder Pay Tribute to Twilight and Vampire Diaries Roles on TikTok
-
Should Georgia bench Carson Beck with CFP at stake against Tennessee? That's not happening
-
Sundance Film Festival turns 40
-
Trawler crashed on rocks off after crew member fell asleep, boat’s owner says
-
At least 18 dead in a shelling of a market in Russian-occupied Ukraine, officials report