Ben White was booed by England fans when he came on as a substitute before scoring the opening goal in a 1-1 friendly draw with Uruguay at Wembley.
Jordan Henderson says fans don’t know the truth about Ben White who was booed during England’s draw with Uruguay
England midfielder Jordan Henderson has pledged his support to Ben White after the Arsenal defender was heckled by fans during a friendly against Uruguay. White experienced the rare embarrassment of being booed by the Wembley crowd.
The 28-year-old made his first appearance for England since withdrawing from the 2022 World Cup squad for “personal reasons” and subsequently being ruled out for the remainder of Sir Gareth Southgate’s term.
Manager Thomas Tuchel seemed to want to give him a “second chance” and White enjoyed a memorable 25 minutes on the pitch.
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He was booed when he came on as a substitute for Fikayo Tomori, then jeered again when he scored the opening goal, and conceded a late penalty that allowed Federico Valverde to seal a draw with Uruguay.
Henderson is used to the ire of the Wembley crowd, having been booed after his controversial move to Saudi Arabia in 2023.
Ben White was involved in both goals in England’s draw with Uruguay (Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
The midfielder said: “As teammates, we will always be there to support. There will be a lot of fans supporting all the players.”
“I’ve experienced it myself, and that’s part of being an England player. Some fans may not even know why they’re booing, and they listen to what’s being said in the media, which is often not true.
“Not many people know the details of what happened in Qatar. That is something we will deal with internally. Ben has been doing well since his return and we will support him as a teammate.”
“Some of us have been there, and it’s hard when it’s you, but you have to try not to take it too personally, the media can report things a certain way, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true, and fans can pick up on that and think it’s true.
“It’s really difficult when that happens so it’s important for us to make sure he’s okay. I’m sure he’s okay. I was happy that he did well and scored the goal. That’s the most important thing.”
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England manager Tuchel also addressed the boos. After the game, he said: “I think it’s happened to some of the players here before, and I don’t think it helps anyone, so it’s a shame.”
“I think it was a mixed response. Some people cheered, some booed. I wasn’t aware of it, but now people have told me. I was in the tunnel, so I didn’t hear it, but I’m hopeful that things will settle down.”
