Mark Clattenburg vows to improve refereeing in Saudi Arabia after quitting English football in shock move
England’s top referee Mark Clattenburg has vowed to help raise standards of officiating in Saudi Arabia after announcing his shock decision to quit the Premier League and move to the Middle East.
Clattenburg has agreed to become Saudi Arabia’s head of referees, a role in which he will oversee the country’s officials while also taking charge of some games, with immediate effect.
The move was not widely expected despite the 41-year-old from County Durham admitting in an interview late last year that he would be interested in moving to the Chinese Super League.
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“This is an important move forward,” Clattenburg said during his presentation, which was broadcast live on social media.
“We have professional referees in the country that I am leaving which has been a big positive. One thing I would like to do is work with the refereeing team and the president to make this happen so that it will be successful for many, many years to come.”
Clattenburg has been on Fifa’s list of referees for international matches since 2006 and last season took charge of the finals of the European Championship, the Champions League and the FA Cup.
Succeeding Webb
He succeeds fellow Englishman Howard Webb as Saudi Arabia’s head of referees after the Yorkshireman left earlier this month to take up a new position implementing video refereeing in the United States.
Clattenburg’s former employer Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL), which provides referees to England’s top divisions, said he had “set standards for others to follow”.
“Mark is a talented referee,” PGMOL added. “He has been a great asset to the English game and hopefully an inspiration to those who want to get into refereeing at the grass roots of the game.
“We understand this is an exciting opportunity for Mark as well as further underlining what high esteem English match officials are held throughout the world game.”
Controversy and hairstyle laws
Clattenburg’s high profile has been fuelled not only by his refereeing success but also by controversy over his business dealings, which led to an eight-month suspension, and his fondness for tattoos.
His new job will see him referee in the Saudi Professional League, where former Sunderland striker Asamoah Gyan, who is on loan at Al Ahli, this week fell foul of rules forbidding certain hairstyles.