Mark Clattenburg enjoyed a stellar 13-year refereeing career in the Premier League and has since told some of the more entertaining tales from his time in football
Mark Clattenburg recollected one of the livelier on-pitch clashes he got involved in during his refereeing career
Mark Clattenburg revealed he was forced to put Ashley Young in a headlock in order to stop a mass brawl from breaking out on the pitch.
The former referee spent 13 years officiating Premier League games and has seen his fair share of clashes erupt throughout the years. Playing witness to countless incidents during his career, the 50-year-old did admit to playing a direct role in one incident during his appearance on the Undr The Cosh podcast.
When asked whether he’d seen any tunnel scraps in his refereeing days, he immediately recounted his experience of taking charge of the matches between Birmingham City and Aston Villa. One particular event came to the forefront for Clattenburg, who spoke of the ferocity of the Second City derby.
“It proper rocked,” the ex-referee said. “[There] was a lot of animosity after the game and them games were quite unique. They were fierce. I remember refereeing once at Villa and I nearly got charged by the FA.
“It was a bit stupid of me but Villa were on the attack and it was [Mehdi] Nafti playing for Birmingham and Ashley Young clashed in the middle of the pitch. I think Young played the ball off to the wing and they [Villa] got a good attack going.
Ashley Young spent five years playing for Aston Villa across two different stints
“So, me not wanting to stop it, these two are clashing in the middle of the pitch and they started shoving and pushing each other, so I pushed Nafti out of the way and put Young in a headlock to release them so they could f***ing run away from each other.
“Young f***ing runs off, the ball gets squared off and Young scores. I was saying ‘I played a great advantage’ but nobody really commented but [they] said I shouldn’t have handled the player in that way. I’m like ‘F***ing hell, I’ve stopped a mass brawl here.'”
The 2008 game ended up being a mammoth 5-1 win for Villa with Young and John Carew netting a brace, while Gabby Agbonlahor scored the last goal of the game.
The County Durham-born Clattenburg has also given his take on the fate of the Premier League crown this season, as he tipped Arsenal to beat out Liverpool for the title, but on one condition.
“Gyokeres signing for Arsenal is genius,” Clattenburg told the Whistleblowers podcast. “Arsenal have been missing goals, they needed that leader upfront. If Liverpool don’t get Isak – I could see the league being really competitive this year.
Mark Clattenburg spent 13 years refereeing in the Premier League(Image: 2014 Mark Leech Sports Photography)
“Luis Diaz has left, the new signings they’ve made will have to hit the ground running and Salah is not getting any younger. He’s losing his pace. It all depends on Isak – if he goes, there’s only one winner. But I really fancy Arsenal for the title.”
He claimed that Liverpool were helped in their title bid last season by the lesser strength of their rivals, but backed the Gunners to put forth a much stronger challenge this year. “I enjoyed watching Liverpool last season, but nearer the end, they were caught short a little bit. A lot of the teams around them suffered – and I felt Liverpool were just slightly better than they were.
“City were poor, Chelsea were indifferent, United and Tottenham weren’t as strong. They weren’t all beating each other, which normally happens. They maintained some form while the rest dipped – but Arsenal look so much stronger this year, and I think they’ll challenge a lot more.”