Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has criticised Leeds United for encouraging their players to wear ‘Earn It’ t-shirts against Jurgen Klopp’s side last month.
The Reds were one of six Premier League clubs involved in a failed attempt to found a new European Super League with supporters making their voices heard on the proposed plans.
Leeds hosted Liverpool the day after the 12 clubs from around Europe announced their intentions and United’s players worse shirts which said ‘Football is for the fans, earn it’.
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Henderson was against the idea of a European Super League but admits the Leeds players annoyed him by wearing the t-shirts.
In an interview with the New York Times, Henderson said: “The t-shirts, I felt, were disrespectful. The players hadn’t done anything. It wasn’t something we wanted.”
On Liverpool owners FSG, the midfielder added: “If you look at it, they’ve done a good job. They’ve grown the club. They’ve put money in. They’ve built a new training ground. They brought the manager in.”
On the Super League plans, Henderson continued: “I was worried it would tarnish it. We have all built to this point, and I didn’t want a divide.”
Speaking to Sky Sports ahead of the game, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was not impressed of the reminder from Leeds: “If somebody thinks they have to remind us that you need to earn a place in the Champions League, that’s a joke it’s a real joke and it makes me angry.”
Meanwhile, Gianni Infantino claimed on Friday that FIFA did not collude with clubs over the foundation of the short-lived European Super League.
“At FIFA it is my responsibility to hear, to meet, to discuss with football stakeholders – our member associations, leagues, our clubs, everyone: big, medium and small,” Infantino said.
“To listen to some clubs and to speak with some clubs doesn’t mean in any way whatsoever that FIFA was behind, was colluding, was plotting, (on) any Super League project.
“We should look at the facts and not rumours or corridor gossip, especially not coming from certain parts,” the Swiss said.
“I have been working in positions of relevance for decades now and I know many clubs, I speak with clubs for many years, since my days at UEFA. And when speaking to European clubs, the Super League topic always is a topic for discussion, always. Everybody in football knows that.
“For years and years some clubs are studying and preparing for this or similar projects. In the 16 years I was in UEFA we always managed to manage that and I can tell you that there were projects that were far more advanced than the one we have seen recently.”
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