Mark Clattenburg quits Premier League to referee in Saudi Arabia
Referee Mark Clattenburg has quit the Premier League and is moving to Saudi Arabia.
Clattenburg is one of the world’s leading referees and in 2016 he officiated the FA Cup final, Champions League final and Euro 2016 final.
With no Premier League fixtures this weekend, Clattenburg’s final top-flight game was Arsenal's 2-0 win over Hull on Saturday.
He has taken a role with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) issued a statement in which they praised his contribution to the English game.
“PGMOL would like to wish Mark Clattenburg well as he prepares for his move to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation,” it read.
“Since joining the PGMOL Select Group in 2004, Mark developed into one of our top officials, refereeing at the highest level and setting standards for others to follow.
“His accomplishments are numerous and last season saw Mark achieve a memorable tre- ble, on top of another consis- tently excellent season in the Premier League, as he officiated three major cup finals - the FA Cup final, the UEFA Champions League final and the UEFA Euro 2016 final.
“Mark is a talented referee, he has been a great asset to the English game and hopefully an inspiration to those who want to get into refereeing at the grass roots of the game.”
“We understand this is an exciting opportunity for Mark as well as further underlining what high esteem English match officials are held throughout the world game.”
Clattenburg’s first match in professional football was in 2000, a Third Division (now Sky Bet League Two) match between Chesterfield and York City at the age of just 25 which was then a post-war record.
Just four years later he had climbed the ladder to the Premier League, where his first match was Crystal Palace's game with Everton.
The Newcastle fan was in charge of the 2012 Olympic final in London, the 2012 League Cup final and the UEFA Super Cup in 2014.