Henderson to Saudi!

zzzzz said:
They, and Linekar and Neville etc all had the opportunity to 'take a stand' with Qatar and did nowt.
I agree it's fair game to criticise, people just shouldn't pretend they'd do diffrently if they were offered the same opportunity.
Click to expand...
I don't think they're pretending.

You seem to think it's impossible to turn down huge sums of money under any circumstances, regardless how much you already have (you're not a tory MP are you 😉)

Yet Dua Lipa, Rod Stewart, Shakira all managed to turned down millions to perform at the world cup because of SA's human rights record.
 
I'm in Saudi now, but don't see it as being incompatible with approving of taking the knee or supporting LGBTQ+ rights as suggested earlier in the thread. Just as working in Russia didn't mean thst I supported Putin or when in Malaysia that I approved of capital punishment for drug offences.

If I limited my employment opportunities to places where I approved of the government then I'd probably wouldnt have worked since my last Scottish job twenty odd years ago.

Should my distaste for the recent criminalisation of previous rights to protest by the tories or their disregard for the rights of refugees mean that I shouldn't return to the UK?

Henderson should do what's right for him and his family. If he does head out here then he will find the saudi people friendly, hospitable and he will see a country that's heading in the right direction rather than regressing.
 
Boroboyyo said:
To be honest this just shows taking the knee and pro lgbt stuff is complete virtue signalling from footballers .

They never did give a **** about this stuff . It was all to look good on social media
Click to expand...
The tone of your post suggests you feel these stances to be unnecessary/misguided. Is that the case? Because obviously not all footballers are taking the Saudi dollar. I personally think footballers are such incredibly influential role models that it is important and admirable that they take a visible and muscular stand on issues of equality. I think they have done immense good. Just to clarify, do you agree?

If you don't agree then obviously your position ought to be that Henderson should take the money, close his ears to the screams of tortured people and get back to his X-box.
 
Paterson said:
I'm in Saudi now, but don't see it as being incompatible with approving of taking the knee or supporting LGBTQ+ rights as suggested earlier in the thread. Just as working in Russia didn't mean thst I supported Putin or when in Malaysia that I approved of capital punishment for drug offences.

If I limited my employment opportunities to places where I approved of the government then I'd probably wouldnt have worked since my last Scottish job twenty odd years ago.

Should my distaste for the recent criminalisation of previous rights to protest by the tories or their disregard for the rights of refugees mean that I shouldn't return to the UK?

Henderson should do what's right for him and his family. If he does head out here then he will find the saudi people friendly, hospitable and he will see a country that's heading in the right direction rather than regressing.
Click to expand...
Not remotely the same thing.

You do understand there's a massive difference between an average bloke making a living and providing for his family and a multi millionaire high profile footballer?

You turn the work down, you might not have a job. A footballer turns it down, might mean he can only afford 3 holiday villas instead of 5. Or 2 fewer supercars etc.

I don't think your presence in Saudi is helping them with sports washing their human rights record.
 
zzzzz said:
And all those having a pop would turn down that kind of money?
Of course not. Hypocrites.
Click to expand...
Yeah if I was already mega rich and good enough to compete at the top level.

It’s a bloody awful country with backwards ideals and morals. Very little human rights if any.

If being as rich as possible is your only concern then that’s for you.
 
zzzzz said:
And all those having a pop would turn down that kind of money?
Of course not. Hypocrites.
Click to expand...

I don't have a problem with anyone working in Saudi Arabia. I'd change my job if it meant making a lot of money and worry about principles when I'd finished bringing up my kids.
However, I've no idea why a player who is still in his prime would sacrifice so much just for the sake of more money, when he already earns 200 grand every single week.
 
Paterson said:
I'm in Saudi now, but don't see it as being incompatible with approving of taking the knee or supporting LGBTQ+ rights as suggested earlier in the thread. Just as working in Russia didn't mean thst I supported Putin or when in Malaysia that I approved of capital punishment for drug offences.

If I limited my employment opportunities to places where I approved of the government then I'd probably wouldnt have worked since my last Scottish job twenty odd years ago.

Should my distaste for the recent criminalisation of previous rights to protest by the tories or their disregard for the rights of refugees mean that I shouldn't return to the UK?

Henderson should do what's right for him and his family. If he does head out here then he will find the saudi people friendly, hospitable and he will see a country that's heading in the right direction rather than regressing.
Click to expand...
Interesting post. I too have lived in a country with a questionable human rights record and an efficient system of brainwashing the masses/suppressing dissent. I wasn't particularly aware of it until I moved there but after I did my main focus was ensuring my daughter was not brought up there (and hence permanently infected by it - as I saw it). I viewed the system as too pernicious and impregnable.

I also wasn't getting wealthy, even vaguely so, by staying there. Had I been, I suspect I would have accommodated my distaste into a more efficiently worked-out position as you appear to have done. And if you happen to work in, say, the petrochemical industry, you are probably right: you'd probably struggle to find a job that wasn't in a jurisdiction governed by brutal repression!

I hope you are right; I hope the signs of tentative liberalisation do signal a genuine desire from modernising elements in the regime to fundamentally remake Saudi society and to deliver democratic freedoms for the people. If so then the football players and others taking lucrative tax-free contracts will be viewed historically as enlightened trailblazers in an emerging dialogue and not mildly cynical 'realists' engaging in humdrum self-enrichment.
 
It's always been on my list of nevers along with Algeria, Nigeria, Chad, Iraq.... you get the picture but not especially for any moral reasons, mainly because it's a backward shytehole with absolutely nothing to offer.
Thats not to say if they offered me £70 million over 2 years I'd not be tempted.
And that's the point, is there anyone here that would really turn down that kind of money?
 
zzzzz said:
It's always been on my list of nevers along with Algeria, Nigeria, Chad, Iraq.... you get the picture but not especially for any moral reasons, mainly because it's a backward shytehole with absolutely nothing to offer.
Thats not to say if they offered me £70 million over 2 years I'd not be tempted.
And that's the point, is there anyone here that would really turn down that kind of money?
Click to expand...
It isn’t like me being offered £70m over 2 years.

If they offered to quadruple my current salary then no, absolutely not. It’s not enough. I can understand why some do it, but it’s not for me.
 
zzzzz said:
It's always been on my list of nevers along with Algeria, Nigeria, Chad, Iraq.... you get the picture but not especially for any moral reasons, mainly because it's a backward shytehole with absolutely nothing to offer.
Thats not to say if they offered me £70 million over 2 years I'd not be tempted.
And that's the point, is there anyone here that would really turn down that kind of money?
Click to expand...

I think I'd just grit my teeth and try and survive on seven and half million pounds a year.
Maybe get the Mrs to get a part time job.
 
Surely there comes a point where the number of millions you have in the bank becomes irrelevant. After, say, 5-10 million, what on earth are you going to spend further on? Who on earth actually needs more than that?
Being a multi millionaire already gives people of sound moral fibre the means to take the high ground and not be bought.
Really don’t know why it’s hard for people to understand why others say they’d reject the move/money if in similar circumstances to Henderson.
 
Most of these players in the last couple of years of their careers will take it. Only top pro's like Gestede would turn it down.
 
zzzzz said:
But yuo would go for money. So much for your 'principles'
Click to expand...
I said multi multi millionaire as that is henderson's position so it makes his decision more ludicrous.

I am in a relatively lucky position and wouldn't entertain the thought of living there but I understand that some people need the money which is why plenty of UK nationals are over there working.

Needing to take that dirty money for the sake of your family is understandable. Henderson is not in that position.
 
zzzzz said:
And if you were offered £70 million?
Click to expand...
If he was offered £70m it wouldn't be remotely the same as Henderson being offered. I'm not sure why this is so hard to grasp?

I'd take it if I was offered it. Probably feel a bit dirty about it, but then Festa5 working in Saudi Arabia isn't going to help their image or deflect from their human rights record. Probably damage it if anything.

If I was a world famous professional footballer worth millions I wouldn't take it.
 
festa5 said:
If he was offered £70m it wouldn't be remotely the same as Henderson being offered. I'm not sure why this is so hard to grasp?

I'd take it if I was offered it. Probably feel a bit dirty about it, but then Festa5 working in Saudi Arabia isn't going to help their image or deflect from their human rights record. Probably damage it if anything.

If I was a world famous professional footballer worth millions I wouldn't take it.
Click to expand...
And that IMO makes you a hypocrite, albeit an honest one.
You're not alone though. I've said before, I've had and still having a very handsome living out of O&G but worry about climate change.
My point though still stands, few would turn the £70 million down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top