Ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg forced to flee Egypt

Clattenburg has been working abroad since leaving England

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has been forced to flee Egypt after criticism from a club president led to threats from fans. Clattenburg was an official in the Premier League from 2004 until 2017 and is considered to be one of the best referees in his time. He made history in 2016 by becoming the second person to officiate a Champions League final and final of the European Championships in the same season. The 47-year-old left England in 2017 to take over from Howard Webb as the head of refereeing in Saudi Arabia, and has worked in a number of roles since. Upon his arrival in the Middle East last summer, he said: "My target is to have an Egyptian referee in the World Cup. It is difficult to evaluate the performance of the Egyptian referees as I am not here for a long time." Most recently, he has been in charge of refereeing in Egypt, but reports have claimed he has left after criticism from Zamalek president Mortada Mansour. According to The Sun, Mansour questioned the sexuality of the referee and falsely claimed that he left his wife to start a relationship with another man. Those claims are said to have led to threats from fans of the club, causing the former referee to fear for his life and leave the country. His time in Egypt proved to be a difficult one as he couldn't persuade referees to come in from overseas for the bigger games. Egyptian outlet Ahram Online, also say that the 47-year-old has arguments with the Egyptian Football Association about ratifying his resignation. Related links:

• Referee shows white card during Sporting Lisbon vs Benfica
• Former referee Mark Clattenburg calls for 60-minute matches with stop-clock
• Mark Clattenburg reveals which Premier League team he supports