Refereeing Debacle

Mark Clattenburg sprung a surprise this week in declaring his intentions to exit the Premier League at season's end to become the Head of Refereeing at the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.

The move has raised eyebrows across the globe with the man rated as the world's best seemingly leaving the best league in football for the lesser lights of the Middle East. He will replace another former Premier League referee, Englishman Howard Webb who himself resigned earlier this month to take up a similar role with Major League Soccer (MLS).

The move comes amid concerns that Clattenburg is unhappy with the level of public support officials are given from Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

It stems from allegations around Clattenburg's business dealing which were investigated by PGMOL. He was suspended for 8 months from 2008-2009 and was later cleared. Another incident involved Chelsea' John Obi Mikel where Chelsea complained that Clattenburg spoke inappropriately to their player. Again, Clattenburg was cleared of any wrongdoing.

You can understand Clattenburg's disconnect, with how PGMOL's handled both situations, but Clattenburg has clearly stated that he believes PGMOL do not publicly support their officials, not just him.

Antonio Conte came out this week to voice his concern at the decision. "It's a pity because Clattenburg is a really good referee. It's not good news for us. He is one of the best in the country". He went on to say "To see he prefers to go away is a pity. I have great confidence in English referees but if you ask me, I am sorry for this."

One can wonder though that moving to the cash rich gulf nation would have its own financial incentives for Clattenburg.

Currently Clattenburg is rated as an Elite Referee, meaning in part, he is placed in the top pay bracket for FIFA accredited referees. He commands a base salary of approximately $68,000 and a per match fee of $1,870. For Clattenburg this means an annual salary from the Premier League of close to $140,000. Estimates have placed his total annual salary at more

than $200,000 when you take International and Cup Competitions into

consideration.

This does though prove a headache for the Premier League. How do they go about replacing the world's best referee? Currently only Martin Atkinson is listed on the FIFA Elite Panel with Mike Dean mostly likely the next English referee in line to be promoted. There are then another nine officials listed on the Premier League's official panel.

With the Premier League noted as the world's best league, they will be doing all to ensure their level of officiating doesn't drop especially with numerous league's no doubt circling around other top officials in order to raise the profile of football in their own country.

Contrary to reports, the Premier League have confirmed this week that Clattenburg will officiate in the remaining games of the season before jetting off the the Gulf. Clattenburg will take the reins of the match between West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth at The Hawthorns.