Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has taken on a varied portfolio of work since moving on from top-level officiating – and one of his old colleagues has sent him a warning
Mark Clattenburg has been told he needs to be “careful” with what he reveals about his time as a Premier League referee. Clattenburg was a high-profile official in the Premier League, working in the top flight between 2004 and 2017.
The 50-year-old took charge of many big matches domestically and was chosen to officiate the FA Cup final, Champions League final and the final of Euro 2016. He left the Premier League in 2017 and went on to work in Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt and Greece before returning to the UK and taking on a role with Nottingham Forest as a referee analyst.
After quitting his job at Forest, Clattenburg has taken on more varied jobs, refereeing charity matches, working as a referee on BBC show Gladiators and, most recently, in the Baller League. He also recently appeared on The Overlap, where he discussed his career with Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher, revealing an X-rated clash with Adam Lallana and another incident with Rio Ferdinand.
Fellow former Premier League referee Peter Walton has watched his ex-colleague’s foray into the media with interest and has issued a word of caution. “It’s great to see Mark Clattenburg feels comfortable to appear on shows; he’s never been short of confidence,” Walton told talkSPORT BET.
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“He’ll have plenty of stories to tell, like many other referees do and there is nothing wrong with telling those stories of how they managed those situations around the laws of the game.
“However, one thing that Mark needs to be careful of is that referees must be perceived as honest officials with integrity who apply the correct law on the football pitch. I’d hate to see that eroded for the purposes of entertainment.
“Sometimes, you can expose yourself to a situation where some take your answers the wrong way. Don’t get me wrong, his appearance on The Overlap was entertaining but it opened debates over integrity and whether referees get swayed by different scenarios.
“From my point of view, I wasn’t perfect, like every other ref I got things wrong, but I always ensured that my decisions were never swayed or influenced by teams, managers, or players on the pitch, we must ensure this isn’t affected.
“I’m all for referees appearing on these shows, it humanises them and it shows refs in a different light which is good. There’s clearly an appetite for it which needs meeting but maybe the attitude that referees have when approaching these situations needs adjusting.”
Clattenburg is among the most famous referees in Premier League history and his move into mainstream TV with Gladiators has further increased his profile. He has been the show’s main referee since January 2024 and has leaned into the role’s pantomime villain persona.
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