Latest news with #Clattenburg
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
A disaster – Nick Kyrgios on Wimbledon's use of AI powered line judges
Australia's Nick Kyrgios is the latest high profile player who has called out Wimbledon for the use of AI powered line judges. In a podcast with Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, Kyrgios said the organisers rushed the new technology into the tournament and called it a disaster. 'It has been an absolute s*** show', the former Wimbledon finalist told Whistleblowers host Clattenburg. AI line judges are automated systems that use cameras to make calls on whether balls are in or out, replacing line judges who traditionally made these decisions. 'Wimbledon is the tennis world's Champions League – it's the best tournament we have and pretty much every match we've had a malfunction. Maybe Wimbledon should just be one of the tournaments where it's traditions never change. You have line umpires, and you have challenges,' Kyrgios said. 'I want the sport to evolve – but this our biggest event and we're still having these malfunctions.' So far Emma Raducanu, Jack Drapper have expressed their displeasure on the use of the technology, questioning its accuracy and the disruption it causes in the matches. During Sonay Kartal's match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the AI system failed to register a ball that been played out. Organisers issued an apology but blamed human error, saying that someone had accidentally deactivated the system mid-game. Clattenburg agreed with Kyrgios saying the organisers should have waited fully to test the new system before introducing it. 'When VAR was introduced, it wasn't just dropped into the Premier League. It was tested over a period of time. I think it was three or four years of it being used in mini tournaments and youth matches before its full rollout. I understand that Wimbledon are listening to its players – they want the technology in and the human taken element out. But I don't understand why they didn't have line umpires for this year, with the technology as a backup to check its accuracy,' he said. Kyrgios also pointed out how the entire technology spoiled the spectacle of the sport. 'What about guys like me and John McEnroe?' Kyrgios asked. 'Our best content ever has come from run-ins with line umpires. The 'you cannot be serious moment' for example, we're still playing that 50 years later. I agree with Mark that they should have eased into it, I feel like Wimbledon just dropped it in and it's been a disaster.'
Irish Daily Mirror
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Mark Clattenburg admits he was 'closest to suicide' after Mikel John Obi storm
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed that he contemplated suicide following false accusations of racism, and it was his infant daughter who saved him. The allegations were made by Chelsea's Mikel John Obi, who claimed that Clattenburg had made a racist remark during a match against Manchester United. The incident, which took place in November 2012, led to investigations by both the Football Association and the police. Clattenburg, who now works as a referee on TV's Gladiators, was eventually exonerated by the FA, and the police also dropped their investigation. But he told of the desperate period for his family while the accusations hung over him. He said: "The Obi Mikel situation affected me a lot and affected my family a lot. I think that was the closest I've ever been to, a, suicide and, b, finishing. If I didn't have a way out and I couldn't referee any more, what can I do? "If I'm a racist I'm not going to get a job in normal life. I'm not going to get a job in sport. My life's finished. So the consequences of my actions left us in a position where I'm thinking 'I've got nowhere to go'. My family was there, but they don't know what really goes on. They don't really know what happens inside the world of football." Asked why he didn't take his own life, he said: "My daughter. My child, because she didn't deserve it. "She was only little. I brought her into the world and it was my responsibility to look after her. "There were times when that was the one thing that was fine. If I was on my own, and I was single, that was the easiest decision in the world. But when you've got responsibilities, it makes us fight more." Clattenburg, 50, added on the High Performance podcast: "If I wasn't so strong-willed, I'm not sure I would be here today." Clattenburg, who also has a son Nathan from his first marriage, added that he would also have liked to have quit football but couldn't "because I had a mortgage to pay". He said: "I had a family to pay. "When you leave your industry, you become a professional referee. My industry was electrical, but unfortunately, because I'd been in football for ten years, or eight years, my industry had moved on so much I would have had to requalify, retrain. "There's a lot of other stuff, so I'd have to go through four, five years. At that point nobody would probably employ us. So I'm unemployable. "So it's not just about refereeing, I've got to protect my family. I've got to protect them financially." He said he first discovered the accusation against him at Heathrow. "I remember my mobile phone. It was a Sky Sports notification: 'Mark Clattenburg has been accused of racial discrimination against two Chelsea players'. And then the phone calls started. I was about to board a flight to Newcastle. "On the flight, I'm sitting and my phone was off. So I don't know what's going to be happening in the next 30 minutes. But I remember some boy sits next to us, and I'll never forget it. "He said 'you've had a bad day today', because he must have read the message. And the minute I landed, Claire. I'd had a newborn, she was only six months old, Claire's hysterical. That first few days everybody was thinking I was guilty." It was later ruled there was no case to answer. Clattenburg went on to ref the 2016 Euros final and Champions League final.
Daily Mirror
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Mark Clattenburg admits he considered taking his own life over racism probe
Chelsea's Mikel John Obi claimed Mark Clattenburg made a racist comment back in 2012, and the former Premier League referee has admitted he considered taking his own life Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg would have taken his own life when wrongly accused of racism if it had not been for his baby daughter. Chelsea's Mikel John Obi claimed Clattenburg made a racist comment during a game against Manchester United. The controversy triggered investigations by both the Football Association and the police in November, 2012. Clattenburg, now a ref on TV's Gladiators, was eventually cleared by the FA, and the Met dropped their probe. But he told of the desperate period for his family while the accusations hung over him. He said: "The Obi Mikel situation affected me a lot and affected my family a lot. I think that was the closest I've ever been to, a, suicide and, b, finishing. If I didn't have a way out and I couldn't referee any more, what can I do? "If I'm a racist I'm not going to get a job in normal life. I'm not going to get a job in sport. My life's finished. So the consequences of my actions left us in a position where I'm thinking 'I've got nowhere to go'. My family was there, but they don't know what really goes on. They don't really know what happens inside the world of football." Asked why he didn't take his own life, he said: "My daughter. My child, because she didn't deserve it. "She was only little. I brought her into the world and it was my responsibility to look after her. "There were times when that was the one thing that was fine. If I was on my own, and I was single, that was the easiest decision in the world. But when you've got responsibilities, it makes us fight more." Clattenburg, 50, added on the High Performance podcast: "If I wasn't so strong-willed, I'm not sure I would be here today." Clattenburg, who also has a son Nathan from his first marriage, added that he would also have liked to have quit football but couldn't "because I had a mortgage to pay". He said: "I had a family to pay. "When you leave your industry, you become a professional referee. My industry was electrical, but unfortunately, because I'd been in football for ten years, or eight years, my industry had moved on so much I would have had to requalify, retrain. "There's a lot of other stuff, so I'd have to go through four, five years. At that point nobody would probably employ us. So I'm unemployable. "So it's not just about refereeing, I've got to protect my family. I've got to protect them financially." He said he first discovered the accusation against him at Heathrow. "I remember my mobile phone. It was a Sky Sports notification: 'Mark Clattenburg has been accused of racial discrimination against two Chelsea players'. And then the phone calls started. I was about to board a flight to Newcastle. "On the flight, I'm sitting and my phone was off. So I don't know what's going to be happening in the next 30 minutes. But I remember some boy sits next to us, and I'll never forget it. "He said 'you've had a bad day today', because he must have read the message. And the minute I landed, Claire. I'd had a newborn, she was only six months old, Claire's hysterical. That first few days everybody was thinking I was guilty." It was later ruled there was no case to answer. Clattenburg went on to ref the 2016 Euros final and Champions League final. The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to talk. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email jo@ or head to the website to find your nearest branch. You matter. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Extra.ie
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
'It's not Gladiators!' - Mark Clattenburg shoved after Troy Deeney red card stirs Baller League tensions
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg was in the thick of the action during a Baller League five-a-side game as a fight broke out and saw him get a shove. The indoor game was played out between Wembley Rangers AFC and F.C RTW, with former Premier League ref Clattenburg the man in the middle for the novel televised format. But there was trouble afoot during the contest as former Wembley Rangers striker Troy Deeney came in late on Tareiq Holmes-Dennis, grounding the latter with a heavy elbow and push long after the ball had gone. Troy Deeney was sent off in his Baller League debut. Pic:Holmes-Dennis' reaction was to get u[ and go after the retreating Deeney, and as he ran towards the 36-year-old he jumped upwards and pushed him in the back. Clattenburg then got in the middle of the pair as he attempted to quell the tensions and as he raised his arms and cajoled him, the player swiped out and shoved the referee. Deeney, for his part, retreated towards the sideline after the immediate reaction had simmered down.
New York Times
20-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Mark Clattenburg interview: ‘Referees just live a normal life, we don't have the protection of football players'
During his 13-year Premier League career, Mark Clattenburg was one of English football's most well-respected referees, officiating some of the biggest fixtures in the game, including the FA Cup final, Champions League final and European Championship final. But referees have one of the most thankless jobs in football and even officials as accomplished as Clattenburg were not immune to criticism and scrutiny. Advertisement On the latest episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, Ayo Akinwolere and Rory Smith spoke to Clattenburg about the growing blame culture surrounding referees and the role the VAR system has played in fuelling it. A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on YouTube below or in 'The Athletic FC Podcast' feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Rory: There is a tendency among fans, players, managers, and executives not to regard referees as human. This seems stupid and sounds like a massive exaggeration, but we like to ascribe all these motivations to what referees do. I haven't got this right every time either but I've always made a point in coverage of trying to acknowledge when referees do well in an unspectacular fashion. But also not to buy into this easy out of, 'the defining thing here was the referee', because too often it's easy to look at referees and think they want to be the centre of attention. Mark: That's the furthest thing from the truth, really… Rory: It is, but then at the same time, if someone is standing with a whistle in the middle of 22 people, it's a bit like, 'Well, they're the one who's got the tool to get attention'. But mostly they are people trying to do their best in an incredibly difficult situation. A situation we are making more difficult by failing to understand that they are doing their best. It's been tolerated for so long that the immediate thing everyone comes out with after a game is, 'Well, the referee did this wrong'. Mark says he went into a club and realised the impact refereeing decisions can have on a club. But on the other side, we as a football culture in general don't necessarily realise the impact our reactions have on the referees as people and that's important. Mark: The problem also is that clubs don't understand. I've always said, for example, that Michael Oliver should go to Newcastle United to train and integrate with them and get a better understanding. Advertisement I remember my issue in 2012 with the Chelsea and Mikel John Obi situation. I remember Bruce Buck (former chairman of Chelsea) coming to St George's Park because the referees were going to go on strike and everybody was upset because the scrutiny I was put under wasn't fair. And his comment was, 'We were duty-bound to report the incident'. You're duty-bound, of course you are, but you should have done some investigation first because it wasn't John Obi who heard it, it was Ramires who didn't speak any English. It's very clever that a person who can't speak English can make up something I've said in my Geordie accent. But that's another point and another argument. But Bruce Buck said, 'What your problem is', to us as referees, is that 'you live in a gated community and you've got security guards protecting your house'. That was the first time you realised they don't know what goes on in the real world. We're just referees living a normal life in a normal housing estate and we don't have the protection like football players have. We're so far apart. That's when I understood that football clubs are in this glass house and they don't realise what is outside. Everybody is duty-bound to protect the image of the game and everybody gets frustrated with referees. Being inside a club, and Rory hit a really important point, everything that filters down doesn't just affect the football players. Yes, they have a duty to try to play well. But for the kitchen staff, for example, if you get removed from the Premier League, the financial hit is so much that the kitchen staff know they could be made redundant. The morale and the mood across the whole of the club are always affected by the results. There's an excuse culture brought in now where there wasn't years ago when I first got in the Premier League. There were much less excuses. But it's growing more and more now. I don't know if it's financial or if it's pressure. Working for a club, I could understand both sides. But ultimately, what's created a bigger problem is the VAR system. Advertisement Everybody accepted a referee making a wrong decision or analysing the decision from what they saw. But in the end, people accepted that. But what they can't accept is VARs still not getting decisions right. This is what has created an even worse feeling in football. They think they have a system in place that is foolproof and it's not. It's not even technology. I hate when people say it's technology because it's not. It's a human being. Yes, the offside has now changed because it's more technology-based, but it's still a human being who has to verify the decision. So it's a human error. It's created a big problem now because when the VAR doesn't get decisions correct, it creates even bigger frustration. You can listen to full episodes of The Athletic FC Podcast free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and watch on YouTube.
