Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has described the increasing amount of transfers to Saudi Arabia as “sad” as he reflected on Jordan Henderson’s move to Al Ettifaq. The former Reds captain opted to join Steven Gerrard in the Middle East despite the backlash, having been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield.
Carragher has warned football that players will be advised against speaking on tough topics, like human rights issues and criminalisation of same-sex relationships in Saudi Arabia, in fear of receiving the same treatment that Henderson has – if they were to eventually land a big-money move to the region.
He admitted that he would reject a similar offer to analyse and commentate for the Saudi Pro League, and that the vitriol that Henderson has been met with is “justified” as the Liverpool skipper confirmed his exit on Wednesday.
“I am not their spokesperson,” Carragher wrote in The Telegraph. “I speak for myself, not those I respect. But as I consider the pros and cons of their career choice I am prepared to say this: if I was offered four times my salary to leave Sky Sports and CBS in order to cover the Saudi Pro League, my answer would be no.
“Why? Because I love watching and analysing the best football in the world, which at the moment is the Premier League and Champions League. I could never be as enthusiastic when commentating on a league with so many players past their best, and with no history or tradition.
“That is a pure footballing consideration. Naturally and understandably, the focus for many other critics is based around the human rights issues in Saudi Arabia. Henderson has a big problem to deal with because of his previous remarks in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I fully understand that criticism and it is justified. Jordan was heralded on the back of his speaking out so he has difficult questions to answer, and the critical reaction towards him will have a negative impact moving forward for those communities who cherish support from high profile figures.”
Carragher had been criticised for his previous comments on current stars such as Ruben Neves and potentially Bernardo Silva moving to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante in Saudi Arabia – but doubled down and hit out at the “sad” moves in this summer’s window.
“Look at Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic. He is a top Premier League striker who is willing to give up on playing in the best league in the world because of the extraordinary financial rewards,” Carragher added.
“That is sad. I would be disappointed for anyone – players, managers and pundits – to put cash above quality when they still have so much to offer at the highest level. If that keeps happening across Europe, the clubs will have a serious problem.”
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