Mark Clattenburg: A former Premier League referee has been forced to flee Egypt due to safety concerns
Mark Clattenburg left his job as the Egyptian refereeing committee chairman due to safety concerns, after receiving threats from a group of supporters and personal attacks from club officials.
The former English Premier League referee assumed his role last August, tasked with raising the performance of officials in Egypt.
But Clattenburg came under heavy criticism from Mortada Mansour, president of Zamalek, a 14-time Egyptian Premier League winner.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has fled Egypt due to safety concerns
The Egyptian Football Association confirmed Clattenburg’s resignation but played down any safety concerns
Mansour criticized Clattenburg’s role in Egyptian football, he said the sun. In a television appearance, Mansour called out the Englishman for corruption while he was playing a similar role in Saudi Arabia, calling him a “bribery man” and suggesting he gave some matches to referees in order to ensure matches ended early. The allegations are completely unfounded.
Clattenburg, who is married to Claire, has faced allegations from Mansour about his personal life.
It was wrongly alleged that he left his wife to start a homosexual relationship.
Mortada Mansour, president of Zamalek Sports Club, criticized Clattenburg on television
Although same-sex sexual activity is not explicitly criminalized in Egypt, LGBT people have been prosecuted for “debauchery” in the past, and there is no general acceptance of homosexuality.
One of Egypt’s leading figures, Khaled Abu Bakr, has called for urgent government intervention to address corruption charges against Clattenburg, warning that the situation could pose an immeasurable danger to the country’s international reputation in sports.
The 47-year-old was also reported to have faced threats from Zamalek fans, which led to his departure.
Clattenburg also had concerns about the league changing its refereeing appointments, while struggling to persuade foreign officials to travel to the country to oversee big matches.
The former referee has reportedly not been paid for two months of his £32,000 monthly salary.
Clattenburg, who was shot at an arbitration tournament in September 2022, has been the subject of threats
The Zamalek boss incorrectly claimed that Clattenburg (pictured with wife Claire at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix) had begun a homosexual relationship
The Egyptian Football Association confirmed its acceptance of Clattenburg’s resignation.
The Egyptian Football Association wrote on Twitter, “The Board of Directors of the Egyptian Football Association decided, in its emergency meeting today, Wednesday, to accept Mark Clattenburg’s resignation.”
The organization added that it “will direct the legal affairs of the union to take the necessary measures to preserve the rights of the union and the results of its resignation in accordance with the terms of the concluded contract.”
Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram It stated that the Egyptian Federation was “surprised” by Clattenburg’s resignation.
The organization denied changing arbitration dates and said it would support his return.
The FA also claimed that concerns about his safety were “exaggerated”, describing the country as “the safest in the world”.
Clattenburg oversaw the 2016 UEFA Champions League Final as one of Europe’s leading officials
Clattenburg has held several positions abroad since stepping down as Premier League referee in 2017.
He initially assumed the position of Head of Refereeing in Saudi Arabia, a role previously held by his former Premier League colleague Howard Webb.
Clattenburg has since worked in China and Greece, before taking up the post in Egypt.
The former referee was seen as one of the top officials in Europe during his career, which was reflected in his supervision of the Champions League and European Championship finals in 2016.
Clattenburg celebrated his accomplishments with a pair of tattoos, including the Champions League trophy inscribed on his left wrist with the final words Milan 2016 written underneath.