Gay footballer Jake Daniels calls Jordan Henderson's Saudi Arabia transfer a "slap in the face"
In a recent interview with BBC’s Newsbeat, England’s only openly gay footballer, Jake Daniels, referred to Jordan Henderson’s move to join Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ettifaq Football Club as a “slap in the face”.The comment comes after Henderson was heavily criticised by fans and footballers alike for his transfer to Saudi Arabia, where same-sex sexual activity is illegal.
The transfer came in July, alongside a hefty £12 million paycheck through a £700,000-a-week deal, but the player has continually insisted that the decision was not financially motivated.
Henderson’s move seemingly contradicts his well-documented support of the LGBTQ+ community, including his support of the rainbow laces campaign, which landed the player a 2021 LGBT+ Awards nomination for ‘Football Ally’ of the year.
When Daniels came out as gay in May of 2022, the Blackpool player reported that he received a message of support from Jordan Henderson, the then-captain of Liverpool FC.“He was backing me and said: ‘We’re proud of what you’ve done,” Daniels recalled. “Seeing him move to Saudi, it kind of like, slaps me in my face really. “But I guess the money pays well, and money must mean more to people.” Following Henderson’s July 2023 move to join Al-Ettifaq FC, however, Daniels reports that the two have not been in contact.
