Clattenburg, 47, was appointed on 5 August 2022 to improve the level of Egyptian referees who have come under fire for below-par performances during the previous seasons. Local reports have referred, however, to disagreements between the Englishman and officials in the EFA which led to his ouster. The board of directors of EFA will hold an urgent meeting on Wednesday to decide on Clattenburg's resignation. The EFA has reaffirmed its confidence in the Referees Committee, which will continue to operate normally under the leadership of Vice-President Mohamed Farouk. (
Source: Ahram)
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has been forced to flee Egypt where he was in charge of the country’s whistlers. The Englishman has suffered harsh criticism and personal attacks from Mortada Mansour, the president of Zamalek Sporting Club. Mansour has been critical of Clattenburg’s role in Egyptian football and has incorrectly claimed that the ex-ref has left his wife to start a gay relationship. Clattenburg, 47, has decided to leave Egypt as he feared for his safety following threats from the supporters of Zamalek. Once considered one of Europe’s top officials, Clattenburg was also having his referee appointments changed by the League. It is also understood Clattenburg felt he was being misled, while he was concerned by the number of dodgy decisions made by some officials. For big games in Egypt, overseas referees are flown in but Clattenburg was having problems in persuading top officials to go to the country. Also, Clattenburg, who arrived in August, had not been paid for two months. He has been on about £32,000 a month. Clattenburg left the English top flight in February 2017 to take over as the head of refereeing in Saudi Arabia and he also had stints working in China and Greece. (
Source: The Sun)
