Twelve years ago, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg was accused by Chelsea of committing racist acts against John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata – and now the man himself is expressed on the subject.
The well-respected official took charge of a moody match between the Blues and Manchester United in 2012, which the Red Devils won 3-2.
The drama on the pitch, however, was nothing compared to what would happen after the final whistle.
In a passage from his new book, Clattenburg first opened up about the racism allegation made against Mikel and Mata which he said could have “ruined his life”.
During that infamous game, Clattenburg sent off both Chelsea players, Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres, and also came under fire for missing an offside while building United’s winning goal.
In an exclusive excerpt from the 46-year-old’s autobiography Whistle Blower, Clattenburg tells his side of the story that made headlines around the world for all the wrong reasons.
“I knew I was to expect a tirade of insults from Chelsea fans, but I didn’t blame myself for my performance,” Clattenburg recalls.
“It was then that I heard a commotion outside the locker room door.
“Mikel is out of control, he’s trying to take it out on me. I’ll break your legs! He shouts. F ****** hell, he swings towards me.
“There are weapons everywhere. I bend down to avoid them. A security guard grapples with Mikel, he shoots him. It’s not easy, Mikel is strong.
“I have my boots, I slip everywhere. I’m thrown back into seats. I’m just trying to defend myself. He’s still determined to hurt me. “
Three days after the game, Chelsea lodged an official complaint with the FA, claiming that Clattenburg had racistically abused Mikel.
Clattenburg continues: “According to Chelsea, I said to Mikel, ‘Shut up, you monkey. This language disgusted me, it was prejudicial and fictitious.
“Back home, locked up and struggling to sleep, obsessively rehashing Sunday’s events, I began to slip into a dark place. It was then that I found an unlikely friend.
“’Mark, this is Sir Alex Ferguson,’ said the incomparable Glasgow accent over the phone.
“Sir Alex didn’t have to make that call and he didn’t have to defend me in public, which he did afterwards.
“But he did it because he believed what Chelsea was doing was wrong. He put his neck on the chopping block, not for me, but in the name of truth and justice. “
Almost a month after the game, the FA dismissed the case and Clattenburg was found not guilty, which he says he knew from the start.
“Mikel was then given a three-match suspension for the incident in the referee room and the FA explained to me that they had to be careful not to be too harsh because they didn’t want to dissuade other players. to come forward to report allegations of racism, ”the chapter concludes.
“Three matches? Is AF taking the fly? He should be banned for the rest of the season, if not more. “
After the incident, Clattenburg continued to referee the Champions League and European Championship finals in 2016.
“I felt like a ‘f *** you’ to everyone who tried to destroy me – they had failed,” Clattenburg said.
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