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Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed that Super Eagle's Mikel Obi once threatened to break his legs
In the wake of the ongoing issues surrounding Alexander Mitrovic, former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has called for more referee protection, claiming Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel once threatened to break his legs.
Clattenburg wants to see stiff punishment for Mitrovic
Clattenburg called for Fulham striker Alexander Mitrovic to face strong punishment after he assaulted referee Chris Kavanagh in the FA Cup game against Manchester United.
The referee believes that the FA needs to send a message to players, using Mitrovic as an example, that referees are not to be manhandled during matches.
Mitrovic was sent off in Fulham’s 3-1 FA Cup quarterfinal loss against Manchester United after protesting Kavanagh’s decision to award Manchester United a penalty by shoving the referee several times. He was also joined by Fulham's manager, Marco Silva, who was sent off for his protest as well.
Clattenburg says Mikel tried to hit him and threatened him
Referee protection is an issue that Clattenburg feels strongly about after himself being the victim of several threats while he refereed in the Premier League.
In his DailyMail column, Clattenburg remembers one of the times he was accosted in his career, saying that former Super Eagles star Mikel Obi once tried to hit him while he was at Chelsea, and also threatened to break his legs.
He wrote, “Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi once swung at me in the referee’s room at Stamford Bridge.
“He screamed he wanted to break my legs and was being held back by Roberto Di Matteo and Eddie Newton.”
Mikel only received a three-match ban on that occasion, and Clattenburg believes he should have been banned for the entire season instead.
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