Jordan Henderson has revealed money was not the "sole reason" behind his move to Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia this summer.
The former Liverpool captain was widely criticised for the move due to the country's conflicting position on LGBTQ+ rights.
Speaking to The Athletic, Henderson said: "People will see this club come with loads of money and he’s just gone, 'Yeah, I’m going'. When, in reality, that just wasn’t the case at all.
"Don’t get me wrong, when you move, the business deal has to be tight. You have to have financials, you have to feel wanted, you have to feel valued. And money is a part of that. But that wasn’t the sole reason. And these possibilities came up before money was even mentioned.
"The [£700,000-a-week] numbers aren’t true. But, again, it had to work out for us financially as well. I’m not saying that it didn’t and I’m not saying, 'Oh, I’m not on good money' because it’s good money and it was a good deal but it wasn’t the numbers that were reported. No.
"It was just difficult to make that decision. I’d been at a club for so long, a club that I love and have a lot of respect for the fans, the owners, the manager, my team-mates — to leave my team-mates was a big thing. But in the end, I felt as though it was the right thing for them as well.
"I do care about different causes that I’ve been involved in, and different communities… I do care. And for people to criticise and say that I’d turned my back on them really, really hurt me.
"[I had second thoughts about the move], about the situation with the LGBTQ+ community and with everything that is being reported in Saudi, my family, footballing decisions, team-mates...
"So, basically, I had to make the decision on what was best for me and my family... So do I go somewhere to try something new, to grow the game that I love in another country, and grow the league into one of the best in the world? That excites me because I want to grow the sport all over the world. And that got me going, really.
"And obviously the LGBTQ+ community. I can understand the frustration. I can understand the anger. I get it. All I can say around that is that I’m sorry that they feel like that. My intention was never, ever to hurt anyone. My intention has always been to help causes and communities where I felt like they have asked for my help.
"Now, when I was making the decision, the way that I tried to look at it was I felt as though, by myself not going, we can all bury our heads in the sand and criticise different cultures and different countries from afar. But then nothing’s going to happen. Nothing’s going to change.
"I think people know what my views and values were before I left and still do now. And I think having someone with those views and values in Saudi Arabia is only a positive thing.
"I wouldn’t rule [out wearing Rainbow Laces in Saudi Arabia]. But, at the same time, what I wouldn’t do is disrespect the religion and culture. If we’re all saying everybody can be who they want to be and everybody is inclusive, then we’ll have to respect that. We’ll have to respect everyone. And by doing something like that, if that did disrespect the religion, then no, I’m not going to do that. But if the opportunity comes where I can do it and it doesn’t, then yeah, because that’s my values."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comment