REFEREE OLIVER HAS TO STAND FIRM
MARK CLATTENBURG has warned referee Michael Oliver to beware Jose Mourinho’s mind games at Wembley today.
Oliver (inset) has been given the honour of leading the teams out in the FA Cup Final as Chelsea take on Manchester United.
The 33-year-old is regarded as one of Europe’s best, having become the youngest-ever Premier League referee eight years ago.
But Clattenburg says the man in the middle will have to be on his guard as United boss Mourinho has become increasingly manipulative over the years.
Clattenburg, who is now Saudi Arabia referees’ chief, said: “I remember doing one of his first games – Chelsea were playing Wigan.
“It was their first game in the Premier League and he was very complimentary because Chelsea were dominant.
“But then I remember games when he was at Real Madrid and things were completely different.
“When Mourinho came back [to Chelsea in 2013] it seemed to spark something.
“He’d get angry at referees and would often personally attack me.
“He’d come into my dressing room – after the match and in the permitted time – but he was criticising me.
“There was one game against Stoke either last season or the season before. He came into my dressing room and was adamant I’d missed a penalty.
“I thought, ‘This is mind games, he’s clearly trying to get in my head’.
“I had 200 miles to drive home thinking I’d made an error. When I got home, I realised I hadn’t made an error.
“That’s what really turned things, why would someone want to do that?”
Oliver has shown he is not afraid to make big calls.
He faced fierce criticism last month after awarding Real a hotly-disputed injury-time penalty against Juventus in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Veteran Juve keeper Gianluigi Buffon, who Oliver dismissed for dissent after the spot-kick had been awarded, later claimed the referee had a “rubbish bin for a heart” before finally apologising earlier this week.
Mark Clattenburg will be refereeing at the CONIFA World Football Cup in London later this month, which you can watch through the Paddy Power Facebook page. For more information visit Paddy Power News.