Clattenburg quits the Premier League for Saudi Arabia

And can handle the pressure of making split-second decisions while under a personal and professional microscope, with 40,000 people singing naughty things about you while millions watch at home, and potentially ending up with a few generations of people from a large town or city hating you for the remainder of your life. It's nuts that, below the Premier League, that job falls to individuals who are effectively hobbyists; it's also remarkable that there haven't been corruption scandals involving Football League officials, given that the guy controlling late-season games that could be worth well in excess of £100m is, as far as I can tell, making about £400 a game on a freelance basis, while the lino is getting half that.

 

A quick "we know where you live (your address is in the FA handbook)" would do it. On the phone. With their number. From the handbook.

 

That...can't be a thing, right?

 

Am I correct in thinking that once you've officiated a champions league final, you're not allowed to do another one?

If that's correct then he doesn't really have much left to achieve as a ref.
I expect he'll miss the spotlight and be back in England in some capacity after a few seasons

 

Think that's the rule for the FA Cup final.

 

What will the job actually involve doing?

For example if Howard Webb's been doing it previously, he's not found it difficult to also be travelling wherever BT Sport happen to be alongside the role

 

Apologies if posted before but he turned down a job in China worth £1m a year so tinstead he is going to Saudi for a measly £500,000 tax free a year.

Fair play to the man so would I given the chance.

 

Yes, but they've only been professionals for a short time.

Obviously the man does not imbibe freely.

 

Why are some people acting as if referees in big leagues have it hard? Yes they have a very difficult and high pressure job. But they are paid extremely well for it.

In the same way we criticise players for poor performances, it's quite right to do it with referees. The reason they get paid so handsomely in the premier league is partially because of the scrutiny.

FWIW I dont blame him at all for moving to Saudi Arabia! Itll probably only be for a few seasons anyway. A huge pay rise and sun all year round, where do I sign up?

 

Yeah I really don't feel all that sorry for refs. I'd happily have thousands of people call me a **** every week for 100k a year.

I've done jobs for a lot less where I get abuse every day

 

In around 2009 the FA was going through the process of moving into the year 1998. Up to then the whole 300ish page handbook for each country/area FA was printed and sent around to every registered club secretary, ref, coach etc in each area, costing roughly 100% of the area budget. In Hampshire all the refs appeared with addresses and phone numbers, including consecutive entries for Keith Stroud (then FL-now PL) and Rob Styles (PL).

Anyway, initially they all just uploaded the whole handbook to their websites, which was fine until some high profile incident where some PL ref was getting phone calls at work after a controvertial incident, making some headlines (can't remember the details but this must be around 2010). Now there's supposed to be a public online version with all that taken out but the boring competition rules left in. But I've just done some googling and found at least 3 FL refs email addresses and other details that the intern kid forgot to delete or accidentally put on the internet. And I wasn't even trying.

It's just a bit embarrassing rather than a major match-fixy issue, most people would know to report any dodgy contact even if it took them off the best game of their life.

PS: Unrelated but you'll love this that I found on google. Someone wanted to judicially review their 11 year old son's red card. http://www.justanswer.co.uk/law/7iv5m-son-eleven-year-old-boy-plays-football.html

 

I do it for...oh you've already done the punch line.

 

Urgh!! Didn't like that man. He used to referee my games.