Mark Clattenburg rips into Howard Webb and shares 'different side' of referee boss - The Mirror

Mark Clattenburg has criticised fellow former referee Howard Webb by accusing him of 'having his own agendas' while claiming the referees' chief told him he's not 'paid enough'

Former referee Mark Clattenburg has criticised PGMOL chief Howard Webb. Clattenburg refereed several notable matches in his career, including the 2016 UEFA Champions League final and the Euro 2016 Final.

The 50-year-old left his position as a Premier League referee in February 2017 for a role with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation - replacing Webb as the country's Head of Refereeing. He has since gone on to have roles in China and Egypt before a role as lead referee for hit BBC TV Show Gladiators.

Clattenburg worked with fellow former referee Webb at Euro 2012, but has claimed that he and other officials excluded him from a post-match gathering. Webb is one of the most decorated English officials of the modern era, having overseen the 2010 Champions League Final, the 2010 World Cup Final and 296 Premier League matches across his career.

The 54-year-old now heads up PGMOL, the body responsible for training, developing, appointing and managing all professional referees in English football, but Clattenburg claims that the pair are not close.

"I wouldn't say I'm friends with Howard," he told the Daily Mail's Whistleblowers podcast.

"I respect him, but I think he has his own agendas. He's had agendas for years. I worked with him at EURO 2012 – and you know, you see different sides to people. I remember being the additional (assistant) behind the goal with Martin Atkinson, Howard Webb and his two assistants.

"After the match, we had all arranged to go into one of the rooms and have a few beers, as we always did after every international. But that night, they all disappeared. The next day, I asked: "What happened?"

"I was told they'd gone to bed early – that was the line, but actually, they'd all gone out to a party. I respect Howard for what he's done as a referee in management, but as a person, I can't respect the man."

Clattenburg was appointed by Nottingham Forest in February 2024 as a refereeing consultant. His role was designed to advise the board and act as a conduit between the club and PGMOL on officiating disputes.

But the former referee resigned just three months into the position after Forest posted a controversial statement accusing VAR Stuart Attwell of being a Luton fan and questioning his integrity.

And Clattenburg has claimed that Webb asked about his salary at Forest while complaining he was not paid enough at the PGMOL.

He added: "You know what I think Webb's problem is? He doesn't want anyone to be as successful as him. When I was at Forest, for example, the conversations between us were: "What's your salary?"

"Sorry, it shouldn't be about salary. But he was always complaining to me that he wasn't paid well enough. That's not my problem. He took the decision to go and be employed [by PGMOL] – I've decided to do other things.

"There was always this resistance from people within PGMOL, that an ex-referee could work at a football club. I think that created a bit of animosity between me and Webb."

A PGMOL spokesperson declined to comment.

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