Clattenburg, who last officiated a Premier League fixture in 2016, also alleged that the former Nigerian international screamed at him
By Kehinde Okeowo
Ex-Premier League referee, Mark Clattenburg, has once again said reiterated former Chelsea midfielder, John Obi Mikel, threatened to break his legs during a league game.
The Englishman, who last officiated in the Premier League in 2016, also said that Mikel Obi screamed at him.
Clattenburg made these disclosures, while discussing the treatment of referees by players, in light of recent incidents involving Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.
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Clattenburg, while discussing the recent confrontation between EPL referee, Chris Kavanagh and Fulham’s Mitrovic, told Daily Mail that during his time, Mikel Obi tried to harm him, but he was stopped by his teammates.
He said: “Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi once swung at me in the referee’s room at Stamford Bridge.
“He screamed he wanted to break my legs and was being held back by Roberto Di Matteo and Eddie Newton.
“In the end, Mikel only received a three-match ban for that incident.
“I thought, ‘Are the FA taking the p***? He should be banned for the rest of the season, if not more.’”
Clattenburg continued: “Mitrovic was not as aggressive as Mikel, but he got physical with Kavanagh. The FA may now use him to set an example for others.
“Referees need to be respected at the highest level because if they are not, that impacts what happens at the lowest level.”