Stressed ref turned to alcohol
FORMER Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg turned to drink to deal with the level of abuse hurled at him in English football.
He decided to leave the country because of the stress caused by bust-ups with players, and managers never apologising when they got it wrong.
The ex-world Cup official, now working in Saudi Arabia, said: “How do you release the tension around refereeing big games? Drink lots of beer.
“I used to call my wife after a game, and she’d know by my voice if I’d had a bad game or not.
“When I got home, she’d be in bed and the fridge would be full of beer if I had a nightmare. If I’d had a good game, she’d wait up.”
He added: “It’s a relief to get away from the Premier League. The pressures inside your own country are sometimes more difficult than high-profile international games.
“It can affect your family. All the social media things that are written. If you make the same mistakes abroad, nobody seems to comment. I think more of our referees will go overseas. In the Premier League, people are criticising you constantly.
“That criticism is one of the catalysts for my decision to quit the Premier League. You make a right decision, you’re told it’s wrong, and you’re driving home hundreds of miles with that in your head.
“Managers never come out and apologise for it, or come into the dressing room privately and say they’ve made a mistake.”
Clattenburg’s worst time came when accused of racism by John Obi Mikel.
He said: “I couldn’t leave the house for the next week.”