Mark Clattenburg calls for harsher punishments for divers on new Mail podcast as Premier League icon takes aim at 'cheating' stars
Speaking to Mail Sport Editor Ian Ladyman, Clattenburg - who officiated nearly 300 Premier League matches during his 13-year career - said a suspension system should be implemented to punish football's worst offenders.
With the advent of VAR, the ex-elite referee argued, it should be easier to punish players who routinely 'cheat' to have decisions go in their favour.
'It was a massive problem when I was a referee', Clattenburg told the podcast.
'VAR has certainly cleaned the game up – because players know they can be more easily caught.
'Before, with the speed of the game, it was so difficult to know whether a player had dived or not.'
'But, for me, it's still a huge problem in football.'
Clattenburg cited an incident involving former Ireland international James McClean during a Championship play-off semifinal as evidence that harsher penalties for diving are needed.
He remembered: 'It was QPR against Wigan and McClean went clean through on goal. Wigan were winning 1-0, and it was the second leg.
'He rounded the goalkeeper and went down. I ran to the situation and had a really good position, so decided to award McClean a yellow card.
'He turned to me afterwards and said: "I don't care if I get a yellow card, I'm not getting sent off. But if you had awarded a penalty, you'd have been destroyed".
'It made me think – players should be sent off. If they clearly cheat to win, they should be off.
'For the worst cases, there should be a panel that can give retrospective punishments – of one, two, three game suspensions.'
The former official argued that the current system puts too much burden on individual referees to make split-second judgement calls.
'Players used to laugh with each other when they dived', Clattenburg said.
'The person who always takes the worst consequences from it are the referees. You would be the one who would get the abuse – hated for the decision you made.
'It's not a laughing matter because players are only cheating themselves. I used to say that to them – but they didn't care, they were only interested in winning football matches.'
Broadcaster Gordon Smart agreed with his co-host, describing himself as a football 'traditionalist' who despises the precedent set by diving.
'I cannot stand diving', Smart told Clattenburg. 'I hate the example it sets for younger players. Also, it would make refereeing the game much easier, if everyone was honest.
'If somebody went down and it's authentic, the right decision would always be made. But if there's a question mark, it puts all the pressure on the referee.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Cole Palmer is left FUMING as Nicolas Jackson fails to give him a simple tap in - and hits the side netting instead - as Chelsea star kicks the post in anger
Cole Palmer lost his temper with Nicolas Jackson in the final stages of Chelsea 's 2-0 win over Fluminense on Tuesday, kicking the post in fury after not being passed to for a simple tap-in. Enzo Maresca 's side booked their place in the inaugural Club World Cup final with a comfortable victory over the Brazilian giants, as new £60million signing Joao Pedro struck twice to get his Blues career off to a flying start. Pedro, who previously played for Fluminense and twice opted not to celebrate against his former side, scored his first with a superb curling effort in the 18th minute before doubling his tally with a smart and powerful strike early in the second half. Chelsea had a fabulous opportunity to put the game to bed in the 80th minute after substitute Jackson broke free inside the penalty area, drawing a defender to leave Palmer free between the spot and six-yard box. But the Senegalese forward opted to shoot to Palmer's dismay, firing his effort wide of the target and into the side netting. Chelsea's No 10 immediately threw his hands in the area in a frustrated manner before stamping his foot against the post. 80' Jackson goes for goal instead of the pass, and misses the target ❌ Cole Palmer's reaction says it all. 😬 Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 - July 13 | Every Game | Free | | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #FLUCHE — DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) July 8, 2025 Palmer then appeared to shout angrily at his team-mate — who held his hand out in apology as he walked sheepishly back on to the pitch with his head bowed. Jackson, who was a regular fixture in Maresca's side during the 2024-25 campaign, suddenly finds his starting spot under significant threat ahead of the new season. Pedro has hit the ground running just days after his switch from Brighton while fellow summer signing Liam Delap, who joined for £30m from Ipswich, adds to the fierce competition at Maresca's disposal at the top of the pitch. Jackson enjoyed a solid return in terms of his output last season, bagging 10 Premier League goals - 13 in total - and drawing regular praise from Maresca during his debut campaign in charge of the club. But many fans have grown frustrated by his persistent lack of discipline at key moments in games, with Jackson sent off in the third-to-last Premier League game of last season against Newcastle and then again at the Club World Cup during Chelsea's second group stage match versus Flamengo. According to reports in Italy, AC Milan have asked about Jackson's availability this summer after the arrivals of Pedro and Delap to Maresca's squad. It is claimed that Jackson's name was mentioned during negotiations for Archie Brown, who is a left back with Gent and also of interest to Milan. Brown has the same agent as the Blues forward, meaning a relationship has already formed between Milan and the Jackson's entourage. The reports claim, however, that Jackson would only be sold by Chelsea if a significant offer comes in.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Officer who kicked man in the head during Manchester airport brawl says he acted ‘professionally'
THE police officer filmed kicking a man in the head during an airport brawl has told a court he acted 'professionally'. Firearms cop Zachary Marsden has admitted kicking Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, while he was on the ground, last July. 3 3 PC Marsden told a jury he was trying to arrest Amaaz for headbutting another man in a cafe at Manchester Airport. Marsden said he was aware of the "crowd dynamic' in the pay station area and wanted to remove Amaaz from the area in case of an adverse crowd reaction. He said: 'Based on my experience as a police off icer, affecting an arrest in a crowd can create its own crowd dynamic risk. "It would be better to remove him from the crowd. 'I did not want to operate within the crowd which could give them the opportunity to escalate the situation." The brawl, which also involved Amaaz's brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, and two other officers was filmed and went viral on the internet. Both brothers, from Rochdale, deny assault charges and claim they acted in self defence. Their lawyer Imran Khan KC told Liverpool crown court Amaaz saw PC Marsden aim his Taser at his brother and may have believed it was a gun. The trial continues. Moment man 'headbutted dad at Manchester airport before brawling with cops' 3
BreakingNews.ie
an hour ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (29) told gardaí that 'thoughts in his head' led him to slash victim's neck
A man told gardaí he slashed the neck of a fellow resident at an addiction treatment centre because of 'thoughts and images' in his head that his family would be murdered, a court heard on Tuesday. Sean Beumer (29) pleaded 'not guilty by reason of insanity' on the opening day of his trial to charges of assaulting the victim causing him harm and to producing a improvised 'shiv' or knife during the attack. Advertisement The trial at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard that the victim told gardaí he was attacked from behind by Mr Beumer and had his neck 'slashed'. Mr Beumer, with an address at Edenmore Crescent, Raheny, Dublin 5, told gardaí the 'thoughts' in his head had 'brainwashed' him into erroneously believing that he and his family would be murdered, and that if he hurt another person he would save himself and his family from harm's way. At the time Mr Beumer was residing at Cuan Mhuire addiction treatment centre in Bruree, Co Limerick, where he and the victim were participating in an alcohol detox programme. The trial, before Judge Colin Daly and a jury of seven men and five women, heard that Mr Beumer's previously prescribed medications were 'discontinued' in line with normal detox protocols at the centre. Advertisement Mr Beumer had been admitted to the alcohol detox programme on November 29th, 2019, and the attack on the victim occurred 15 days later on December 13th. Sergeant Larkin agreed with the accused's barrister, senior counsel Lorcan Connolly, who said that Mr Beumer told gardaí that the urge to harm someone in order to relieve his bad thoughts was 'building' throughout the days he was off his medication 'and he cracked'. The attack occurred at the smoking area of the treatment centre at around 1.30am on the morning in question. After his arrest Mr Beumer told gardaí: 'I went into the smoking room and put him [the victim] into a sleeper hold and tried to cut his face.' Advertisement 'It was all building up after 10 days, all these thoughts, I just exploded,' Mr Beumer said. Mr Beumer told gardaí he was 'relived' when he carried out the attack , although he said his intention was to 'cut' the man's 'face' but he 'couldn't see in the dark'. He told gardaí that after the attack he put his bloodied hoody top in a bin. Sergeant Larkin told the court that after he arrived at the scene later on the morning he found Mr Beumer in his room kneeling and praying by his bed. Advertisement Sergeant Larkin agreed with Mr Connolly that the accused had expressed remorse and he was cooperative with the Garda investigation. The court heard Mr Beumer told gardaí the attack was 'not personal'. 'He [the victim] was the only [resident] awake, it was not personal, I was doing it to save my family,' Mr Beumer told gardai. 'I was brainwashed into thinking it was the right thing to do.' Advertisement 'I was ill, sick, depressed, I was asking to leave and they said 'No', I didn't know what else to do,' Mr Beamer told gardaí. When asked if he had wanted to kill the victim, Mr Beumer told gardaí: 'No, just hurt him'. 'Yeah I did it, I'm admitting to it because I don't want it hanging over me.' 'I'm so sorry for what i done, I was pressurised into doing it.' Mr Beumer claimed that another resident, whose name he couldn't remember, had shown him how to make a weapon by fixing unguarded razors to the plastic handle of a disposable razor. The court heard that the victim and the accused had become friends while resident at the centre and they had been playing checkers together in Mr Beumer's room moments before the attack. CCTV footage played in court showed Mr Beumer following the victim out of the room towards the smoking area. The footage showed the victim later with blood around his neck approaching a nurse at the centre. Sergeant Larkin said one of the victim's slash wounds ran across the length of his neck. Sergeant Larkin said one of the centre's staff members, Sr Agnes Fitzgerald, had 'innocently' cleaned up some of the blood at the scene as she was 'not forensically aware'. Sr Fitzgerald told gardaí that she handed the weapon used in the attack to gardai after it was found by a volunteer staff member Michael Barrett. A forensic scientist attached to the State science laboratory described the weapon as a 'shiv' or makeshift knife. Michael Barrett told gardaí the shiv 'was like something you'd see in the movies' and that he saw 'a lot of blood' near the scene leading towards the victim's room, which was situated two doors from Mr Beumer's room. Mr Barrett said he saw 'cuts to [the victim's] neck' and that Mr Beumer was 'praying and kneeling at his bed' before going for 'a shower'. A staff nurse who was on duty on the night in question told gardai that the victim approached her bleeding from his neck and hand. The nurse said she 'applied pressure' to the victim's wounds and brought hm to his room as Gardai and an ambulance were alerted. Garda David Hggins, of Bruff station, said he found the victim had suffered 'a slashed throat' and he had taken a formal statement from the man and secured his clothing for forensic tests. A medical report sustained three lacerations to his neck, including one which was seven niches in length, as well as a laceration to his hand. The victim told gardaí a man he believed to be Mr Beumer, whom he called 'the Dub', had 'slashed open my neck'. The man said he had 'no idea why the attack happened'. 'I got choked out from behind. When I woke I saw blood dripping everywhere. I remember being choked and being told 'go to sleep',' the man told gardai. Blood samples taken from a hoody top worn by Mr Beumer when he said he attacked the victim were forensically examined and found to be a match for the victim's DNA. The trial continues on Wednesday.
