“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
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