"There will be no more cheering when his name is announced" - England's LGBT+ group hit back at Jordan Henderson after recent comments

English LGBT+ group Three Lions Pride recently criticized former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson after he attempted to defend his move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq.

Henderson decided to leave Liverpool after 12 years to reunite with Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq during the summer transfer window. This move didn't go down well with fans as the 33-year-old was a known advocate for the LGBT+ community in England.

He received widespread criticism for moving to a nation that criminalizes LGBT+ people. In an interview with The Athletic, Henderson attempted to defend his move and apologized to everyone he had hurt.

However, the Three Lions Pride slammed Henderson for his comments on Twitter. They wrote (via Daily Mirror):

"If criticism “really hurts” you then just imagine the pain of your very existence being criminalized, penalized and the cause of state sanctioned abuse. Your hurt over valid criticism does not supersede the reality of your decisions. Our door, as always, remains open for constructive conversations."

The group also reserved harsh words for Jordan Henderson's selection to Gareth Southgate's England squad for the upcoming UEFA Euro qualifiers:

"For us, the excitement is replaced with apathy for a footballer who has failed us. Our desire for England to win is unwavering but our support individually for Henderson is gone. There will be no more cheering when his name is announced, no more banner with his face on."

They added:

"If he does play, we imagine that many of our group will turn their back to the pitch as he enters the field of play much like he turned his back on advocating human rights. Henderson's bank balance may be burgeoning, but our respect and his off field legacy is lost & can never be won back."

Jordan Henderson is expected to feature for England against Ukraine (September 9) and Scotland (September 12).

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Jordan Henderson explains why he left Liverpool to join Al-Ettifaq

Jordan Henderson recently explained why he abruptly decided to end his 12-year-long storied tenure at Liverpool to join Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq this summer.

The 33-year-old returned to Liverpool's pre-season in great shape and was expected to continue his role as captain for the 2023-24 season. However, to the shock of the Anfield faithful, he decided to move to Saudi Arabia in a £12 million move.

While better wages were undoubtedly a factor in Henderson's decision, he also revealed that the Reds didn't fight to keep him at the club.

Jordan Henderson delved into why he felt undervalued in an interview with The Athletic (via ECHO):

"There was an approach from Al-Ettifaq to the club to see if it would be possible for me to go there. The reaction from the club again wasn’t to say no. At that moment I felt as though my value or the want for me to stay, with the manager and within the club, maybe it had shifted. I knew that time would come at some point. I didn’t think it would be now. And I had to accept that."

He added:

"If one of those people said to me, 'now we want you to stay', then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And I have to then think about what’s next for me in my career. Now, that’s not to say that they forced me out of the club or they were saying they wanted me to leave but at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay."

Jordan Henderson left Liverpool as a club legend. He scored 33 goals and provided 61 assists in 492 appearances across all competitions, winning eight trophies for the club.