Mark Clattenburg has disclosed that he once directed Rio Ferdinand to convey a strongly worded message to Sir Alex Ferguson about his alleged tactics to pressure referees. Clattenburg, who officiated in the top flight for 13 years before his 2017 departure, reflected on his experiences during The Overlap's Fan Debate, hosted by pundits Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes.
Since leaving Premier League refereeing, Clattenburg has had stints in China, Greece, and Egypt, only to return to England as a consultant for Nottingham Forest in February 2024. However, he quickly stepped down from this role after branding the refereeing in a match against Everton a "joke" in his Mail on Sunday column.
During the show, Clattenburg shared insights into Ferguson's tactical approach to handling referees. He recalled how the Scotsman would employ specific strategies, such as sending different players to pressure him, which led to Clattenburg's blunt relay of sentiments through Ferdinand. "I remember Manchester United, and how they used to do it. Fergie, I'm convinced, used to send one player at a time because he knew if you kept sending the same player, eventually he's going to get cautioned.
"I remember saying to Rio once: 'Go and tell your f***ing manager to f*** off!' And you know what, he turned around, he said: 'I'm not telling him!' Because you knew what they were doing. It was one after another. It wasn't the decision, they didn't care because they couldn't change that decision," reports the Mirror. "It was the next one, they wanted that next decision, so there were those mind games."
Even Clattenburg wasn't immune to harsh criticism; Adam Lallana delivered a dose he vividly remembers: "I remember I had a fight with Adam Lallana," the ex-official revealed. The game in question saw Southampton battle Everton in 2014, during which Clattenburg noted: "I think he was frustrated at the end of the game. I used to take into account a bit if they got beat, a bit of frustration, it was Christmas so he probably had too much turkey and stuff like that. He was a bit upset.
"There were some choice words, and I said to him: 'Look, you've changed since you've played for England. ' I wanted to defuse the situation. 'You've f***ing changed since you've played for England'. And he looked at us and walked off."
Following Lallana's move to Liverpool, Southampton lodged complaints with both the Premier League and the Football Association, which were eventually dismissed. Clattenburg retorted to Lallana's denial of involvement in the complaints: "You f***ing were you little scruff."