Mark Clattenburg has returned into the headlines after making explosive comments in a recent interview. The former Premier League officials sat down with NBC’s Men in Blazers and discussed the infamous Battle of the Bridge.
The English referee took charge of an unforgettable clash between Chelsea and Tottenham in 2016. The match ended 2-2, a result which granted Leicester the title, but that game will forever be remembered for its brutality.
A few Spurs players were lucky not to be sent off, with Moussa Dembele later receiving a six-game ban for an altercation with Diego Costa. Clattenburg now claims he let Pochettino’s side self-destruct, as he did not want to be blamed for ruining Tottenham’s title push.
He said: "I allowed them [Spurs] to self-destruct so all the media, all the people in the world went: ‘Tottenham lost the title.'
"If I sent three players off from Tottenham, what are the headlines? 'Clattenburg cost Tottenham the title.' It was pure theatre that Tottenham self-destructed against Chelsea and Leicester won the title."
These comments have left the former Premier League referee in controversy. Many accused the Englishman of match fixing, while others slammed him for failing to do his job.
Others saw the lighter side, making jokes about Clattenburg and his statement. One even labeled the referee a Gooner. Check out the best tweets below.
Mark Clattenburg has just exposed referees in English football, won’t look at them the same now
— K-MASE (@KMAISON20) December 4, 2017
So in other words Mark Clattenburg effectively fixed certain aspects of that fixture and deliberately failed to protect the players on the pitch because he was more worried that if he did he would get the blame for Tottenham's title failure. https://t.co/qqpzGpzSMc
— Tom Sleeman (@TomSleeman11) December 4, 2017
Lot of chat today about Mark Clattenburg's admission of refereeing to news headlines/results instead of the match itself. Anyone who has watched a football match recently already knew this is happening, except for the @fa of course!
— CB Raw (@CB_Raw) December 4, 2017
Mark Clattenburg's comments piss me off, but show that Premier League football is not a fair sport. Referees are there to enforce the rules of the game, not try and make the game entertaining.
— Paul (@CTR_Paul) December 4, 2017
If someone commits a red card offence, send them off. #ItsThatSimple
Mark clattenburg’s a gooner
— Rossi (@Rossiboy30) December 4, 2017
It seems like if you were and honest and proper referee, you'll never make it to the top like schemers Mark Clattenburg and Mike Dean
— ChampagneSocialist (@LeArsenalProf) December 4, 2017
Reading Mark Clattenburg's quotes on 'The Battle of the Bridge' like... pic.twitter.com/yJs1yKMWpW
— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) December 4, 2017
What's playing next in the theatre of Mark Clattenburg? "I let Roy Carroll scoop the ball out of the net and turned a blind eye to Pedro Mendes' goal."
— Mark Butcher (@KOwriting) December 4, 2017
Can't believe Mark Clattenburg said what he did, that's match fixing isn't it? Deliberately not sending people off
— Simon Breeze (@Simon_Breeze) December 4, 2017
@TeamFA Mark Clattenburg owes me £29. Pass it on. pic.twitter.com/AyaMJMqBOI
— Rob Jeffries (@JournoRob) December 4, 2017
