Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has spoken about the Football Association investigation that commenced following an incident between himself and Gabriel Magalhaes at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal's impressive 3-2 win over the Reds in October was, somewhat, overshadowed by the altercation in second-half additional time.
Play was briefly halted by referee Michael Oliver, allowing him to speak with Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp on the touchline amid an argument which intensified when Gabriel appeared to claim that something offensive was said.
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The FA then proceeded with an investigation after Oliver included the incident in his match report. Both players were interviewed and questioned on their respective experiences during the two-week-long process before English football's governing body announced on October 26 that no disciplinary action will be taken against either party.
And Henderson has since revealed the details of the process to the Mail on Sunday. “I understand why I have to be asked about this, but what I tried to do was respect the process,” he said.
“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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