English referee Mark Clattenburg has opened up on the famous row he had with Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi during the latter’s time at Chelsea
Clattenburg was speaking in an Exclusive interview with the daily mail UK and spoke on several issues including his much publicized rows with Mikel, Adam Lallana’s change in attitude and keeping Craig Bellamy in check
The old referee was accused by Chelsea’s Brazilian Midfielder Ramirez of making racist comments about Mikel back in 2012
‘I had sent off two Chelsea players and there was an offside goal late on as well, so it was pretty heated coming off,’ Clattenburg is quoted as saying on the Daily Mail
‘Mikel came into my dressing room and certain things happened which I’ll leave in there.
But then Ramires made the allegation that I’d called Mikel a monkey on the pitch.
I knew it wasn’t true, but I could not speak. Me and my family went through hell — I even thought about quitting.’
‘If Mikel had come out and apologised, OK, be a man about it,’ he says. ‘
But I haven’t got respect for someone who makes a mistake on someone else’s allegation and can’t then say sorry.’
Mark Clattenburg left the Premier League to take up a position as Saudi Arabia’s head of refereeing
He will be involved with the world cup as part of a panel for the World Cup as he e joins the ITV panel for a World Cup that will use VAR for the first time.
