Clattenburg Sacked!

Third_Echelon

I'm sure Everton fans will smile at this one!

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/off-the-rise-and-rapid-fall-of-britains-flashiest-referee-1519081.html

Off! The rise and rapid fall of Britain's flashiest referee

By Nick Harris
Thursday, 29 January 2009

Mark Clattenburg was widely regarded as the brightest young talent in English football refereeing, a handsome, charismatic Geordie who soared through the ranks in record time and looked destined for fame on the greatest stages.

The 33-year-old from Gosforth, Newcastle, began officiating aged 15 as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, and enjoyed a meteoric rise, taking charge of his first Football League match in 2000 aged just 25, a post-war record. In 2004, he was promoted to elite level in England, contracted full-time to the referees' governing body, PGMOL, on a salary of £75,000 a year, to specialise in Premier League games.

Since 2001, when professionalism was introduced, PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) has been responsible for a pool of 78 officials who work in English professional football. Just 19 of them are salaried, paid big money to oversee games featuring star-studded clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, and Mr Clattenburg was among them.

In 2006, while still just 30, life got better still when he was also appointed to the refereeing roster of Fifa, football's world governing body, to take charge of prestigious international matches. He was the youngest Englishman ever elevated to that level.

But last night, Mr Clattenburg's career was in tatters after he was sacked from his job as a Premier League match official after an inquiry into his financial affairs.

He denies any wrongdoing and will appeal his dismissal, and there is no suggestion that he has been involved in any activities related to corruption within football.

But in a cautionary tale that highlights the extraordinary level of transparency required from modern referees, and the intense scrutiny of their lives, on and off the pitch, it appears that the divorced father of one took his eye off the ball when it came to his terms of employment.

Well-placed sources say he was sacked for breach of contract arising from failing to disclose in full or on time details about debts relating to businesses he ran as an electrician, his former trade.

He was initially suspended last August when his bosses received emails alleging he had secret debts of up to £175,000 and that he had sent an allegedly threatening email to a business associate. In separate, anonymous correspondence, allegations were also made about his private life.

Following a five-month investigation, during which Mr Clattenburg has consistently protested his innocence, he was called in to see the PGMOL hierarchy last week and told he was sacked.

PGMOL declined to confirm that Mr Clattenburg has also been told he will never work as a professional referee in England again but a spokesman effectively confirmed the sacking and the appeal by saying: "The disciplinary procedure is still ongoing, therefore it would be inappropriate for us to offer any further comment at this time."

High levels of transparency are required from referees in an era when match-fixing and corrupt officials have blighted leagues around the world. Most infamously in recent years, a German referee, Robert Hoyzer, was sent to prison in 2005 for his role in a match-fixing scandal in which several officials were paid by Croatian gambling syndicates to rig games in Germany.

The potential dangers of corruption in modern sport were also highlighted last year when the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the umbrella group for 270 sports governing bodies in the UK, published a report into the risks posed to the integrity of sport by corrupt betting. It said: "Referees are an obvious focus for betting rings to consider."

And while English football has never been affected by any substantiated claims of "bent" officials, at any level, Mr Clattenburg has, it seems, now fallen foul of contractual requirements put in place to help ensure no such claims will ever prove to be true.

His professional life was first thrown into turmoil in the week before the Community Shield match between Manchester United and Portsmouth, staged at Wembley on 10 August last year and scheduled to be refereed by Mr Clattenburg.

On 7 August, the allegedly threatening email sent by Mr Clattenburg to an associate was brought to the attention of PGMOL, as were details of alleged business debts, and he was suspended.

Mr Clattenburg's business interests centred on two companies. MC Electrical Services Ltd was placed in receivership last year and was subject to legal action over a claim of debts to another firm, Jarel UK, of £5,530.83. MC Electrical Retail Ltd was wound up by the official receiver with an alleged outstanding debt of more than £71,000, although Mr Clattenburg's total debts were alleged to be higher.

In August, when these claims first arose, along with claims about Mr Clattenburg's personal life, PGMOL suspended him. A PGMOL statement said: "[We] are aware of media reports concerning alleged debts incurred by companies connected to referee Mark Clattenburg. It has been decided he will not officiate any matches pending enquiries into the background to these reports.

"It is in the best interests of Mark Clattenburg and the game that these reports are fully investigated and, during that time, he will not referee any matches. Mark is one of England's leading referees and we hope to resolve this matter swiftly."

Also in August, a few hours after Mr Clattenburg had appeared at Newcastle County Court in the case related to Jarel UK debt, his £40,000 Porsche, parked outside his home, sustained thousands of pounds of damage when it was sprayed with paint.

Susan Clegg, 35, a former partner of Mr Clattenburg, was questioned by police, but in November was told she would face no action and her solicitor, Brian Hegarty, said: "Miss Clegg denied responsibility and fully co-operated with the police, informing them of her whereabouts when the offence was alleged to have occurred."

Most of Mr Clattenburg's on-field activities have been no more or less scrutinised than those of other officials. But one erratic performance – when officiating a Merseyside derby in October 2007 – led to death threats.

In the match, when Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 at Everton's ground, Mr Clattenburg sent off two Everton players, gave Liverpool a disputed penalty and turned down two penalty appeals from Everton. After the game, his life was threatened by Everton fans, some of whom also contributed to a online petition to PGMOL to have Mr Clattenburg sacked. It received more than 3,000 signatures.

Mr Clattenburg was dropped from the PGMOL rota for one round of games but it must be stressed that being dropped is not unusual for a referee after perceived errors on high-pressure occasions. And when he returned to action he was widely regarded as being on course to re-establish his reputation as his profession's golden boy.

Turbulent though Mr Clattenburg's life has been in recent years, the attention heaped upon him only reflects the exposure to abuse and pressure on top referees.

In 2004, the Swiss referee, Urs Meier, became the focus of a hate campaign – orchestrated by The Sun newspaper – by England supporters after he disallowed a goal by Sol Campbell against Portugal in the Euro 2004 quarter-finals. His personal details were published and he received thousands of abusive emails, and death threats, and was placed under police protection.

What Mr Clattenburg must now realise is that what he does away from a football pitch is scrutinised as much as what he does on it. He is understood to be indignant about losing his job, and while he was unavailable for comment yesterday, he is believed to stand by a statement he made in September, which said: "Every allegation that has been put against me, I have proved all the evidence against it. And I'll do exactly the same again. I'm innocent."

_blank_

wow

Fizman

One of the few referees I actually liked.

Mr Alan

very good referee.

how Styles still has a job is beyond me.

RichTea

Royally screwed up that Merseyside derby but apart from that he was a rather decent ref.

Melion

Great ref, hopefully he's not gone too long.

Mr Alan

this is hilarious.....were the calls he made in the merseyside derby not correct?

Melion

Liverpool fans all saying he's a good ref

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Is he the guy that disallowed the famous Spurs-Man U goal that when it landed a foot over the line...?

Killme00

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Is he the guy that disallowed the famous Spurs-Man U goal that when it landed a foot over the line...?

It didnt land, so it was clearly not a goal

jesus_thats_gre

Melion wrote: »

Liverpool fans all saying he's a good ref

Liverpool fans like him and Everton fans dislike him.

Mitch Connor

Mr Alan wrote: »

this is hilarious.....were the calls he made in the merseyside derby not correct?

No - Should have been two penalties to Everton and there were some other shocking calls in Liverpool's favour.

On RAWK, they are blaming Ferguson:rolleyes:

PHB

Either way, that's the linesman decision, not the refs.

It doesn't really say he's sacked, as far as I could see, it just kinda assumes it?

craiginireland

Mr Alan wrote: »

this is hilarious.....were the calls STEVEN GERRARD made in the merseyside derby not correct?

Fixed that for you. This man is as crooked as they come. 3 months before that game Clattenburg went on tour with Liverpool FFS.
Carragher almost rugby tackled Lescott in the last minute and he "didn't see" it. Hibbert got sent off on Stevie G's say so for a non foul.

Mitch Connor

apart from that game, which he messed up completely, I actually think Clattenburg was a very good ref.

Third_Echelon

PHB wrote: »

Either way, that's the linesman decision, not the refs.

It doesn't really say he's sacked, as far as I could see, it just kinda assumes it?

I thought this line was kinda definitive enough:

But last night, Mr Clattenburg's career was in tatters after he was sacked from his job as a Premier League match official after an inquiry into his financial affairs.

The merseyside derby he reffed was a shambles...

Red Cards, Penalty decisions. Dirk Kuyt not sent off for a karate kick.... list was endless in that game. No coincidence that he was 'given the week off' after it...

yahoo_moe

It can probably be safely assumed.

Whatever about a suspension or demotion, this is a brutal decision whatever his qualities as a ref. There's no proof of any link between his debts and his on-field activity - in fact, I've never seen the word "alleged" used so many times in an article so there doesn't seem to be much proof of anything.

I know he should have disclosed whatever he had to but the implication is that he was sacked in advance of the bribe he would inevitably have taken. If that's the case, then it's unacceptably like Minority Report or "thought crime" really.

PHB

Third_Echelon wrote: »

I thought this line was kinda definitive enough:

Yeh, but then it says,

PGMOL declined to confirm that Mr Clattenburg has also been told he will never work as a professional referee in England again but a spokesman effectively confirmed the sacking and the appeal by saying: "The disciplinary procedure is still ongoing, therefore it would be inappropriate for us to offer any further comment at this time."

Helix

yahoo_moe wrote: »

It can probably be safely assumed.

Whatever about a suspension or demotion, this is a brutal decision whatever his qualities as a ref. There's no proof of any link between his debts and his on-field activity - in fact, I've never seen the word "alleged" used so many times in an article so there doesn't seem to be much proof of anything.

I know he should have disclosed whatever he had to but the implication is that he was sacked in advance of the bribe he would inevitably have taken. If that's the case, then it's unacceptably like Minority Report or "thought crime" really.

im sure there are several terms and conditions in referee's contracts that if they become high risk in terms of being potentially comprimised for financial gain

Guy:Incognito

Killme00 wrote: »

It didnt land, so it was clearly not a goal

Sorry, wut?

Seperate

Here we go....

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=FOpeS22sKfA

Mitch Connor

Seperate wrote: »

Here we go....

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=FOpeS22sKfA

But of course Mr Alan sees nothing wrong with the tackles from Finnan, Carragher or the vicious lunge by Kuyt.

yahoo_moe

Helix wrote: »

im sure there are several terms and conditions in referee's contracts that if they become high risk in terms of being potentially comprimised for financial gain

I said that obviously he should have declared whatever he had to declare.

But the implication throughout all this (even when he was initially suspended pending a review) has been pretty strong and I disagree with the logic applied. For me, that should never be a sackable offence.

Seperate

Mitch Connor wrote: »

...... vicious lunge by Kuyt.

I'd call it a drop-kick....

SuprSi

Killme00 wrote: »

It didnt land, so it was clearly not a goal

No smilies but I have to assume that's a joke?

delspeed78

The derby fiasco aside. He was sacked for breach of contract. He failed to declare his personal debt of £175,000. Left his superiors with no alternative and the snide is fired.
How can he be trusted to referee premier league matches when he can't even sort his own personal matters. He compromised the integrity of the premier league.
Goodbye. Good riddance.

monkey9

craiginireland wrote: »

Hibbert got sent off on Stevie G's say so for a non foul.

Hibbert fouled Gerrard. He was the last man. Straight Red!

Mitch Connor

monkey9 wrote: »

Hibbert fouled Gerrard. He was the last man. Straight Red!

The ref took out the yellow card before Stevie G had a word.

That aside, still to stone wall penalties turned down for Everton and Kuyt should have seen red for his lunge. If that was not dangerous play i don't know what is.

Nuri Sahin

What are you all saying he was awesome in the Merseyside Derby


Beside the odd mistake he was actually consistent and was as up tight as some of the refs around. Styles, Bennett and Riley spring to mind, the most awful refs in the league are the top refs supposedly :rolleyes:

Guy:Incognito

SuprSi wrote: »

No smilies but I have to assume that's a joke?

I mulled it over before replying , but I dont think it was.


I'd be intrigued to hear a follow up to his post.

monkey9

If anybody can find some dodgy financial dealings in Style's closet, that would be much appreciated. The worst ref out there. West Brom's Paul Robinson goy his red card rescinded, another clanger from Styles cleared up!

x in the city

very good referee

Mr Alan never ceases to amaze me.......

Mr Alan

x in the city wrote: »

Mr Alan never ceases to amaze me.......

coming from the man who just said in another thread that Everton clearly deserved to win the FA cup game at Anfield, thats little rich!:pac:

x in the city

I said we ought to have won it, if howard did not get beat at his near post, he made that gerrard goal look like marco van bastens in euro 88 ffs...eh no that was van persies mid week, but he still should have saved gerrards one.

jesus_thats_gre

x in the city wrote: »

I said we ought to have won it, if howard did not get beat at his near post, he made that gerrard goal look like marco van bastens in euro 88 ffs...eh no that was van persies mid week, but he still should have saved gerrards one.

Strange, I thought the same but the Everton supporter that I live with is adament that Howard didn't **** up..

Third_Echelon

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Strange, I thought the same but the Everton supporter that I live with is adament that Howard didn't **** up..

That's what opinions are all about....

I thought it was a good shot from gerrard. I wouldn't totally blame howard for it...

jesus_thats_gre

Third_Echelon wrote: »

That's what opinions are all about....

I thought it was a good shot from gerrard. I wouldn't totally blame howard for it...

I thought it was an average shot and Howard was completely at fault..

x in the city

But keepers do not get beaten at their near post, he should have went down and smothered that quite easily IMO, he made it look like it was a goal of the season.

Howard has this medical condition you know, maybe if gets to his concentration sometimes...

Third_Echelon

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

I thought it was an average shot and Howard was completely at fault..

Thank you for your opinion.... :pac:

bohsman

Just watched the highlights from the Merseyside game again and Im as anti Liverpool as anyone, bar Lescotts penalty claim nothing too wrong with any of the other decisions. Booking Hibbert would have been a bad call.

Third_Echelon

x in the city wrote: »

But keepers do not get beaten at their near post, he should have went down and smothered that quite easily IMO, he made it look like it was a goal of the season.

Howard has this medical condition you know, maybe if gets to his concentration sometimes...

Tourette syndrome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourette%27s_syndrome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Howard
http://www.tsa-usa.org/news/Tim_Howard_Press_Release.html

He says it doesn't affect him, but i'm sure it must be a factor sometimes..

bohsman

Third_Echelon wrote: »

That's what opinions are all about....

I thought it was a good shot from gerrard. I wouldn't totally blame howard for it...

Good shot yes but before Id even seen the replay Id blamed Howard. You shouldnt be getting beaten near post at that level.

monkey9

Third_Echelon wrote: »

Tourette syndrome

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourette%27s_syndrome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Howard
http://www.tsa-usa.org/news/Tim_Howard_Press_Release.html

He says it doesn't affect him, but i'm sure it must be a factor sometimes..

Probably why Ferguson got rid of him. The hairdryer treatmeant isn't as effective when you're getting the hairdryer treatmeant back from the player!

Third_Echelon

monkey9 wrote: »

Probably why Ferguson got rid of him. The hairdryer treatmeant isn't as effective when you're getting the hairdryer treatmeant back from the player!

He doesn't have the 'stereotypical' tourettes, which most people think involves constant swearing etc..

You will see him every so often squinting or moving his muscle cheeks... not often enough though for it to be a problem.

monkey9

Third_Echelon wrote: »

He doesn't have the 'stereotypical' tourettes, which most people think involves constant swearing etc..

You will see him every so often squinting or moving his muscle cheeks... not often enough though for it to be a problem.

Damn, i always imagined Howard giving the defence loads of abuse!!! I'd never heard of that syndrome until Howard cane to the Premier League. I did see someone with it on the Late Late. It's a weird syndrome. Just shouting out things!