Jordan Henderson has broken his silence on the Football Association investigation that followed a bust-up between him and Gabriel Magalhaes.
The FA opted to open an investigation after the pair had a heated exchange of words when Arsenal were awarded a late penalty against Liverpool at the Emirates. Arsenal scored the spot-kick and went on to win the match 3-2.
The Arsenal defender was believed to have taken offence at something Henderson had allegedly said, with Granit Xhaka also clashing with the Reds skipper before an unseemly spat involving several players on both sides.
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A complaint was made to referee Michael Oliver in the immediate aftermath, who then consulted with Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta on the touchline before resuming play. The FA were compelled to investigate the allegation after Oliver included the incident in his match report.
Henderson and Gabriel were asked for their observations and the FA interviewed other players from both sides during a two-week investigation. The governing body then announced on October 26 that there is no case to answer and released a statement detailing why.
And speaking about the investigation for the first time, Henderson has explained why he opted not to make any public statements during it - despite him having 'a million and one things' to say.
“I understand why I have to be asked about this, but what I tried to do was respect the process,” he told the Mail on Sunday.
“I have spoken before about black players being brave enough to speak out about discrimination so I couldn’t then change my stance. I still feel I need to show respect now, even though it’s been dealt with.
“I’ve let the FA do what they needed to do and I still feel it wouldn’t be right for me to speak about it. It is just as important to respect the process afterwards as it is during the case.
“I could speak to you all day about how I was feeling but I have to accept what happened and move on. By the way, that wasn’t easy.
“There were a million and one things I wanted to say — emotional things — but I think it would have been wrong. It has not changed my mind that people must be empowered to come forward if they feel they have been wronged.
“It has changed my thoughts a little bit about the person who has been accused but if people feel they have been discriminated against, they must come forward.
“It would not be right for me to sit here and say how hard it was for me, because there is another person involved as well. It has been dealt with and it was another learning experience in my life.”
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