Mark Clattenburg resigns from refereeing consultant role at Nottingham Forest; former Premier League referee was appointed in February; Clattenburg said in a statement his work has resulted in "unmerited targeting", Forest charged by the FA after a controversial social media post
Saturday 4 May 2024 07:09, UK
Mark Clattenburg has resigned from his refereeing consultant role at Nottingham Forest, and the club have been charged by the FA for their social media post after defeat to Everton.
The former Premier League referee was only appointed to the first-of-its-kind role in February but has been involved in some controversy, including Forest accusing Stuart Attwell, the VAR for their acrimonious 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park, of being a Luton fan after a series of appeals for penalties by the away side were turned down.
In a statement released by Forest, Clattenburg feels he has been unfairly targeted by "certain participants and pundits."
He said: "This is to announce that I will no longer be providing match analysis services to NFFC.
"Since February this year, I have been proud to have done so under a consultancy agreement between NFFC and Referee Consultant Ltd.
"I performed my services under the consultancy agreement in good faith, to the best of my abilities and in the hope of using my extensive experience as a match official to help NFFC understand how decisions in relation to key match incidents are made amid the workings of VAR.
"However, it is now clear that the existence and performance of these consultancy services has caused unintended friction between NFFC and other participants, to the extent that it has become more of a hindrance than help to NFFC. It has also led to the unmerited targeting of me, personally, by certain participants and pundits.
"Such reactions and outcomes were not expected and are regrettable, as it is my sincere belief that there is a place for and value in such a role in the modern game.
"I am grateful to NFFC and wish them all the best during the remainder of the season and in the future. It's been an honour."
Later on Friday, it was announced that Nottingham Forest have been charged with improper conduct by the FA over their extraordinary statement about Attwell.
The FA has also charged Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo and full-back Neco Williams over their comments about the officiating, while issuing a formal warning to Clattenburg hours after he announced his resignation.
The FA alleged the comments by Forest, Nuno and Williams "constitute improper conduct in that they imply bias and/or question the integrity of the match officials and/or bring the game into disrepute".
The club, Nuno and Williams have until May 9 to respond, the FA said.
The Premier League is also investigating the Forest post on Attwell under its rules, having put out a statement saying it was "extremely disappointed" by it.
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