Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Henry Winter: Mark Clattenburg takes a month off as furious referees submit five-point plan to save game

One of the country’s leading officials, Mark Clattenburg, a man trusted by Uefa to oversee their games, is taking a month off from Premier League duties to escape the relentless opprobrium. Clattenburg’s elite colleagues are furious such a respected official has been pushed to the brink.

Some of the criticism levelled at referees is legitimate but most is excessive in a sport that has become so high speed and so high profile in a country so quick to apportion blame. Managers, players and pundits make far more mistakes than referees yet are rarely subjected to the same brutal, forensic scrutiny.

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