Jordan Henderson has been CLEARED after a Football Association investigation into his bust-up with Arsenal defender Gabriel.
Liverpool captain Henderson was accused of making an offensive remark during a flashpoint in Arsenal’s win at the Emirates on October 9. FA chiefs took witness statements from both players and are believed to be satisfied that Henderson’s words were misheard and have accepted his version of events.
It is understood that the words used may be close to a word which is offensive in Portuguese and caused Gabriel to react in the way that he did. Referee Michael Oliver calmed the bust-up down, even had to approach both benches to urge managers Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta to calm their players and inform them of what was being alleged.
Oliver then spoke to both managers and both players after the game to gather witness statements as part of his referee report which he then sent to the FA. That prompted the FA to look into the incident and the governing body said it would “review the details” before deciding whether to pursue further action.
An FA statement read: "Following an investigation into an allegation received by The FA in the Premier League fixture between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC on Sunday 9 October 2022, The FA can confirm that it will not be taking any disciplinary action.
"The FA received a complaint about an incident involving two players in this fixture. As a result of the complaint, The FA conducted a full and thorough investigation.
"The investigation included taking witness statements from the complainant and accused, along with an additional six players who were within proximity of the alleged incident, reviewing multiple angles of video footage, and seeking independent linguistics experts evidence. None of the witnesses heard the alleged comment, and the player accused strenuously denied the allegation throughout.
"Whilst The FA is entirely satisfied that the allegation was made in good faith, it is equally satisfied that there is no case to answer.
"The FA continues to take all allegations received extremely seriously and would encourage anyone who believes that they have been the subject of or witness to abuse to report this through the appropriate channels. The FA receives a number of complaints in any one season and thoroughly investigates each one that it receives. Following consideration of all of the evidence received, not all cases will result in a charge being issued."
Arsenal boss Arteta had previously refused to confirm whether he had been approached during the investigation, but threw his weight of support behind the defender. “It’s something I don’t want to touch. It’s in the FA’s hands and I’m not going to get involved in that.
"I don’t know (how long it will last). It’s something that I don’t decide. I think timings are really difficult to predict. The FA is in charge of the situation and we’ll have to wait and see.” But asked if he fully supported his player’s version of events, he said: “100%”.
It was a clear case of one player’s word against another and it is believed that Henderson’s explanation has been offered to Gabriel.
It could have even seen Henderson charged which would have caused a huge issue with less than a month before the World Cup when the Liverpool midfielder would be in Qatar as England’s vice captain.
Henderson is regarded as an ambassador for English football and a leading light among other Premier League captains and this case has caused a social media storm. Lip readers were reported to have been used while Gabriel has been reluctant to back down but the FA have now closed the case.
