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Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg FLEES Egypt – and his £32,000 a month job – after a team president claimed he was in a gay relationship and threats from fans made him fear for your safety.
- Mark Clattenburg resigned from his post in Egypt over concerns for his safety
- The former Premier League official had faced threats from Zamalek supporters.
- Egypt’s FA confirm his resignation but say security fears were ‘exaggerated’
Mark Clattenburg left his job as head of Egypt’s refereeing committee for security reasons, after receiving threats from Zamalek supporters and personal attacks from the club’s president.
The former Premier League referee took over in Egypt last August, where he was tasked with boosting the performance of officials in the nation.
Clattenburg has been heavily criticized by Mortada Mansour, president of Zamalek Sporting Club, the record 14-time winners of the Egyptian Premier League.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has fled Egypt over security concerns
The Egyptian FA confirmed Clattenburg’s resignation but downplayed security concerns
Mansour criticized Clattenburg’s role in Egyptian football, according to Sun.
The Zamalek president also made allegations about the personal life of Clattenburg, who is understood to be separated from his wife.
Mansour had incorrectly claimed that he had left his wife to start a homosexual relationship.
The 47-year-old has reportedly faced threats from the club’s supporters, prompting his departure.
Zamalek’s president incorrectly claimed that Clattenburg had begun a homosexual relationship, with the former referee being understood to be estranged from his wife, pictured here in 2015.
Clattenburg was also concerned that the league would change its referee appointments, as it struggled to persuade foreign officials to travel to the nation to oversee important games.
The former referee had reportedly not been paid two months of his £32,000 a month salary.
The Egyptian Football Association confirmed that Clattenburg has stepped down, but the organization says his departure still needs to be ratified.
Mark Clattenburg oversaw the 2016 Champions League final as one of Europe’s leading referees
“England’s Mark Clattenburg, head of the Egyptian Football Association’s Referee Committee, resigned from his position on Tuesday evening,” a statement read.
The Board of Directors of the Egyptian Football Association will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to decide on Clattenburg’s resignation.
egyptian newspaper al-ahram reported that the Egyptian FA was ‘shocked’ by Clattenburg’s resignation.
The organization denied that the referees’ appointments have been changed, saying it would “support their return.”
The FA also claimed that concerns about its safety were “an exaggeration”, labeling the country the “safest in the world”.
Clattenburg has held multiple roles abroad since stepping down as a Premier League referee in 2017.
He initially took over as head of arbitration in Saudi Arabia, a position previously held by Howard Webb.
Clattenburg had the Champions League and Euro 2016 logos tattooed on his arm.
Since then, Clattenburg has worked in China and Greece, before taking up the role in Egypt.
The former referee had been seen as one of Europe’s top officials during his career, reflected in his oversight of the Champions League and European Championship finals in 2016.
Clattenburg commemorated the achievements with a pair of tattoos, including the Champions League trophy engraved on his left wrist with the words Final Milano 2016 written below.
The tattoo to commemorate the great match between Real Madrid and Atlético, which the former won on penalties after the 1-1 draw.
He also got the Euro 2016 tournament logo tattooed on his left bicep to mark the second final, where Portugal beat France 1-0 after extra time.