Xander Bogaerts Shares His Thoughts On Liverpool, Super League: 'I Like It The Way It Is'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Red Sox owner John Henry had Liverpool fans pretty miffed over the last few days, after Henry's Fenway Sports Group and 11 other clubs looked to create a Super League across the pond. Fans made it clear that they didn't want anything to do with a Super League, and on Tuesday night, one of Henry's Red Sox players joined that very vocal group.
After mashing his first home run of the season in Boston's 4-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts took the podium for his video conference call with the media sporting a Liverpool shirt.
"Total coincidence for this shirt, just so you guys know," Bogaerts said with a laugh.
Bogaerts, like many fútbol fans across Europe, spoke out against the proposed league, which came to an end before it could really get started due to the public backlash. Liverpool announced late Tuesday that the club was quitting the Super League just a few days after its formation.
"I don't play soccer but I like it the way it is," Bogaerts said Tuesday. "Why would you put so many of those awesome teams to be in one league? I saw someone say the other day that it's special when Liverpool plays Real Madrid maybe one time a year, or one time in every four years in the Champions League. But now you're going to play them every year? It's more special if it happens occasionally."
On Wednesday morning, Henry apologized to Liverpool fans in a video posted to the club's Twitter account:
"I want to apologize to all the fans and supporters of Liverpool Football Club for all the disruption I caused over the past 48 hours. It goes without saying but should be said that the project put forward was never going to stand without the support of the fans," said Henry. "No one thought any differently in England, and over these 48 hours it was very clear that it would not stand. We heard you. I heard you.
"I hope you'll Understand that even when we make mistakes we are trying to work in your club's best interest. In this endeavor, I let you down. I am sorry and I alone am responsible for the unnecessary negativity brought forward over the last couple of days," Henry continued. "It's something I won't forget and shows the powers that fans have today. And will rightly continue to have."
