Southampton accuse referee Clattenburg of Lallana 'insult'

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published 3 January 2014

REFEREE Mark Clattenburg is in the headlines once again after being accused of insulting Southampton captain Adam Lallana during the Saints' 2-1 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday. The Daily Mail reports that the official is being investigated by referees' chief Mike Riley after Southampton accused him of "abusing and insulting" their captain after he turned down a penalty appeal near the end of the game. The paper claims that in the wake of the "extraordinary incident", Southampton have "written to the Premier League asking that Clattenburg is not appointed as an official for any of their matches until the investigation is over". The Daily Telegraph says that the south coast club have also demanded an apology from Clattenburg. It is unclear what the official is supposed to have said to Lallana, but the paper says the player believes it was of a "personal" nature. Last season, the same referee was accused by Chelsea of racially abusing midfielder John Obi Mikel during a bad-tempered match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. An FA investigation found that there was no case to answer and Clattenburg has been free to referee Chelsea matches since then. Remarkably the match on Sunday was the first to be overseen by Clattenburg at Goodison Park since 2007, when he was at the centre of more controversy after sending off two Everton players during a Merseyside derby won by Liverpool. The timing of the latest allegations is not ideal as the referee is due to take control of the biggest FA Cup tie of the weekend, the clash between Arsenal and Spurs at the Emirates on Saturday evening.