Mark Clattenburg reveals he HATED the Premier League referees’ Christmas party

Mark Clattenburg has lifted the lid on the world of top-level refereeing, from ‘boring as f***’ Christmas parties to attracting the ire of Neil Warnock by leaving a stadium early to go and watch Ed Sheeran.

The former FIFA official took charge of matches in the Premier League for 13 years and was the man in the middle for the final of Euro 2016 and the 2016 Champions League final.

Details of referees’ social lives have typically been scarce but last year four top-flight officials – Martin Atkinson, Andre Marriner, Kevin Friend, and David Coote – were pictured on the party island of Batam, Indonesia, with a group of young women. Clattenburg was not part of the travelling refereeing party. 

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has lifted the lid on life as an elite official 

Social lives of Premier League referees has tended to be kept quiet but last year four top flight officials – Martin Atkinson, Andre Marriner, Kevin Friend, and David Coote – enjoyed a night out with a group of women in Indonesia. Clattenburg was not involved in the charity golf trip

Clattenburg was right in the thick of it as Chelsea and Tottenham players square up in 2016

Clattenburg has opened up on socialising with colleagues and how his peers were reluctant to buy a round at the referees’ Christmas party. 

‘Every year we used to have one, but it was boring as f***,’ Clattenburg, who left English football for a role in Saudi Arabia in 2017, told Paddy Power’s ‘From the Horse’s Mouth‘ podcast.

‘They weren’t guys I would have a drink with. I made my bunch of mates up in the north, and then I had the referees. But they wanted any bit of money, they were tight as anything!

‘They wouldn’t even go to the bar to buy a beer. You would end up going to the bar and then you would turn around and there was 10 of them behind waiting for a pint.

‘That’s how tight they were, so they weren’t guys I would like to socialise with.

‘There’s not many of them I’m still speaking to even though I’ve left three years ago and that doesn’t bother me, because I’ve got my great friends outside of refereeing in life, and in football.’

Clattenburg shows the red card to West Ham’s Cheikhou Kouyate during a match in 2016

The referee shares a joke with Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney during a match in 2015

Sir Alex Ferguson speaks with fourth official Clattenburg ahead of the 2012 Manchester derby

One memorable episode from Clattenburg’s distinguished career came when he left The Hawthorns five minutes early after taking charge of a West Bromwich Albion match to get to an Ed Sheeran concert.

Unfortunately, Neil Warnock wanted to vent his anger at him and his early exit from the ground resulted in a one-match ban.

Clattenburg said: ‘It was this game at West Brom and I did everything that was normal before the match.

‘After the match, I’d left. The problem was, Warnock came looking for us half an hour afterwards and I think I’d left after 25 minutes thinking he’d…