Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has reflected on the racism allegation involving Mikel John Obi in 2012, revealing how it took a mental toll on him.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has disclosed how Mikel John Obi's accusation of racism troubled him in the past.
What happened
During a Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United on October 28, 2012, the Blues alleged that referee Mark Clattenburg used inappropriate language towards Mikel.
It was reported that Clattenburg used a term understood to have been interpreted as racist.
The allegations led to investigations by the Football Association (FA) and the Metropolitan Police.
The police investigation was later dropped due to a lack of a victim coming forward, and the FA conducted a thorough investigation, gathering witness statements and reviewing the available evidence.
Ultimately, the FA cleared Clattenburg of the racism allegation, with their investigation concluding that the evidence did not support the claim.
What Clattenburg said
Speaking to the Athletic, the ex-referee revealed how he felt at the time.
"The Obi Mikel situation when I was accused of being a racist was probably the toughest part of my life," said Clattenburg on the Athletic FC Podcast. "Because it was something that the PGMOL didn't know how to deal with at the time.
"I had media outside my house. The scrutiny around it was really difficult because people thought I was guilty.
"I questioned myself, thinking, 'That's not the words I would use...it's not something I would do', but you're still questioning yourself.
"In the end, once I was proven innocent, I didn't want to come back refereeing, but I had lost the love, and it took me about a year to fall in love with it again. It took a lot out of us mentally and physically."
Clattenburg left the Premier League in 2017 for a role in the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
The English official later held roles in China and Egypt before returning to England in February 2024 for an advisory position at Nottingham Forest, which he left in May of last year.
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