January 26 – Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has been forced to resign from his position as president of the Egyptian Referees Committee after only five months in charge.
Unconfirmed reports say Clattenburg has fled the country over safety fears having been personally attacked by Zamalek Sporting Club president Mortada Mansour.
Mansour allegedly also incorrectly claimed that Clattenburg had left his wife to start a gay relationship. He has also apparently received threats from Zamalek supporters
Clattenburg is said to have been concerned that the domestic league was changing his referee appointments while other reports claim he hasn’t been paid for two months.
The Egyptian FA has confirmed it has accepted Clattenburg’s resignation “in an emergency meeting” and hinted it would take legal action.
The FA said it would “instruct the legal affairs of the federation to take the necessary measures to preserve the rights of the federation and the consequences of his resignation in accordance with the terms of the concluded contract”.
The Egyptians denied that refereeing appointments had been changed and said Clattenburg’s concerns over his safety were “an exaggeration”, calling the country the “safest in the world”.
Regarded as one of the top referees in Europe, Clattenburg officiated in the Premier League from 2004-2017. He then left to become head of refereeing in Saudi Arabia and has also worked in in China and Greece.
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