Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has explained how a feisty Merseyside derby in 2007 led to him being unable to referee Everton at Goodison Park for six years. Clattenburg gave Liverpool two penalties and sent off Everton pair Tony Hibbert and Phil Neville in a Goodison clash in October 2007. However, there were more controversial decisions in the match as Reds forward Dirk Kuyt - who scored both penalties in Liverpool's 2-1 win - escaped a red card for a high lunge on Neville. Then in stoppage-time, after Kuyt's second penalty, Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher appeared to wrestle Joleon Lescott in the box, only for Clattenburg to fail to give the home side a spot kick.
Speaking on Carragher's podcast 'The Greatest Game', the former official says it was that final decision which proved to be the definitive one. "I was out of my depth," said Clattenburg. "I don't know why I was refereeing it. I'd just done the Manchester derby and the London derby, so it was my third derby in three or four weeks. I had underestimated it - the working-class derby. The other two were different derbies, this one was brutal. Some derbies are different in certain stadiums. Sunderland-Newcastle is more intense at Sunderland and Everton-Liverpool is more intense at Goodison. There was always more intensity. I remember the first half I did okay, but in the second half I had an absolute nightmare. I listened to my assistant referee for the Dirk Kuyt challenge, which when you look back was a stonewall red." Clattenburg then reflected on his failure to punish Carragher for the tussle with Lescott. "Look at what you did with Lescott - you killed us! I wasn't allowed to referee Everton for seven years because of you!" he said. "When I was a young referee in the Premier League, I didn't understand balance. If I'd seen it - and I still don't know why I didn't see it to this day - the easiest decision was to blow for a penalty. Why? I would have come out the game with a little bit less criticism. Yes, Everton had two players red-carded and I awarded Liverpool two penalties, but had I given Everton a penalty and the chance to make it 2-2, no Liverpool fan could have criticised me. But everything went against Everton. You don't sometimes see it when you are in the game. I could have given the penalty and come out with less criticism and then refereed Everton over the next seven years, which I failed to do."
Source: Mirror
