REF JUSTICE

Ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg reveals he turned to booze after having a bad match

Official quit the English top-flight in February to take a role with the Saudi Arabian FA

FORMER Premier League ref Mark Clattenburg has revealed he often turned to booze to cope with the pressures of the job.

The official, 43, quit the UK in Feburary 2016 after being offered the head of refereeing post for the Saudi Arabian FA.

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Mark Clattenburg quit English football to become the top ref in Saudi Arabia

Clattenburg took charge of the FA Cup, Champions League and European Championship finals in 2016 before his exit.

And in a revealing column for Paddy Power, he laid bare how high-pressure games drove him to drink.

He said: “How do you release the tension around refereeing big games? Drink lots of beer.

“I used to call my wife after a game, and she’d know by my voice if I’d had a bad game or not.

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Mark Clattenburg officiated the Euro 2016 final

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The official was accused of racism after an incident with John Obi Mikel but an investigation found no wrongdoing

“When I got home, she’d be in the bed and the fridge would be full of beer if I had a nightmare. If I’d had a good game, she’d wait up.

“It’s horrible after a game if you’ve made a mistake – it would be a horrible drive home. If you had a good game, you would want to listen to the radio stations talking about the match. But, if you’d had a ‘mare, you’d turn the Bluetooth on and play some music.”

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Clattenburg, who memorably ended up in hot water after attending an Ed Sheeran gig, was accused of using racist language towards then Chelsea ace John Obi Mikel in 2012.

He was cleared of any wrongdoing by an investigation but suffered a torrid time.

The ref added: “The worst was when Chelsea played Manchester United, and I’d been accused of being racist by Jon Obi Mikel.

“I had to fly out of Heathrow and it was breaking news all over the world, having to deal with that and the aftermath while getting on the flight.

The referee had a tattoo to mark his eventful 2016

AFP
The pressures of the job made an impact on Clattenburg’s life

“I remember boarding and the guy sitting next to me said, ‘You’re the referee aren’t you? F***ing hell, you’ve made some headlines’. You realise then how huge the impact football has.

“I couldn’t leave the house for the next week. To be accused of something you hadn’t done was difficult to deal with, because you get frustrated. You have to leave the investigations to run their course.”

 

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