Jordan Henderson may close social media accounts

| 14 April 2021

Jordan Henderson may close social media accounts

Jordan Henderson has handed control of his accounts to a cyber-bullying charity.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson says he may still close his social media accounts as he criticised the 'stomach-turning' online abuse directed at his teammates.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Naby Keita and Sadio Mane were targeted following the 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final last week.

Henderson has sought to draw attention to the issue of online abuse by handing control of his accounts to the Cybersmile Foundation – a cyber-bullying charity – but says he applauds those like Thierry Henry who have come off social media altogether and does not rule out joining them.

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Writing in the match programme ahead of Wednesday's return leg against Real at Anfield, Henderson said: "I'm sick of seeing people I know, and people I don't know, having to put up with the kind of abuse that turns my stomach. It has to stop and anyone who has a shred of decency has to play their part in making it stop.

"I didn't (hand over the accounts to Cybersmile) lightly – I thought about it a lot and at one stage I was considering switching off all of my social media accounts in protest.

"I still have that option and I applaud those, like Thierry Henry, who have taken the ultimate step as far as this issue is concerned.

"But for now I want to see if I can turn my own feelings into something positive by shining a light on an appalling situation and seeing if some sort of positive can be extracted from it."

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Championship sides Swansea and Birmingham are involved in a week-long social media boycott which has seen those clubs stop posting from their official channels.

Rangers players and staff are also involved in a week-long boycott in support of Glen Kamara and Kemar Roofe, who have both been targeted for abuse.

Anti-discrimination body Kick It Out has said it would support any Premier League-wide boycott, amid reports English top-flight clubs were considering such a move.