Telegraph Sport understands Mark Clattenburg approached referee Paul Tierney for a meeting on behalf of Nottingham Forest on Saturday because he believed PGMOL chairman Howard Webb had given him permission to act as a conduit between the club and officials.
The fallout from Saturday’s events at the City Ground continues with new allegations that Clattenburg, once one of Europe’s most high-profile referees and now working for Forest, reached the agreement at a meeting between Webb and Forest officials on 28 February.
PGMOL, the organization that employs referees and assistants in England, led by Webb, stated that it believed there was no such agreement for Clattenburg to speak to referees after the match. There is no dispute that the meeting took place at Forest’s training ground ahead of the FA Cup match against Manchester United on the same evening, which PGMOL chief referee chief Webb attended.
At the meeting, Clattenburg was told that he could not enter the referee’s room before matches for Forest. He did so ahead of the home win against West Ham on February 17. It appears Webb asked him not to do this again. However, Clattenburg believed that because the managers, staff and players allowed this, he left the meeting with an agreement that he could approach the referee 30 minutes after the end of the match to meet with him.
These calls are at the discretion of the referee. PGMOL (Professional Match Officials) has stated that it believes there has been no confirmation of any deal. Clattenburg went to see Tierney after Saturday’s game, and the misfiring incident added up over time. Nuno’s assistant Rui entered the room briefly with Pedro Silva. Tierney then asked Clattenburg to leave.
It is understood PGMOL believes Clattenburg never entered the room. The PGMOL said the training ground meeting on February 28 was standard procedure to speak to the newly appointed Premier League manager. Although Nuno has previously worked in the Premier League, there are also changes to the law and new interpretations, as well as a new code of conduct for coaches and managers. Among those in attendance were Nuno, Clattenburg, Webb and Jon Moss, manager of the PGMOL senior referees. Webb was then at the City Ground for the FA Cup match and the club seated him alongside Clattenburg.
According to the protocol, only players and staff whose names appear on the official match-by-match list submitted to the Premier League can approach the referee after the match. Clattenburg’s argument to Webb and PGMOL was that he could be a useful intermediary in explaining the law and its interpretation to Forest staff and managers.
Following Darwin Nunez’s 99th-minute goal and the final whistle, Forest coach Steven Reid was sent off by Tierney for abusive language. Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, who appointed Clattenburg, was in the tunnel area. Clattenburg confirmed in an interview with the Telegraph after the game that he was not allowed to speak to Tierney.
Tierney had made the mistake of not shooting against Forest after play was stopped due to Ibrahima Konate’s head injury while the ball was in the home team’s possession. Liverpool scored almost two minutes later and in the meantime the ball was out of play. Forest have not complained to PGMOL since Saturday and are unlikely to do so now that the dust has settled.
Clattenburg’s role and presence in the City Ground tunnel on Saturday caused consternation among Premier League officials, especially given that he had been heavily criticized by some managers throughout his career as a referee. Clattenburg was appointed by Marinakis last month as an advisor to the Forest board on various football matters.
One of his duties is to filter complaints about legal matters and suggest when Forest has a strong case and when he doesn’t. He will also advise the coaching staff on how players can officiate games and stay abreast of changes in the law. This is the first time a former referee has been appointed to such an important role for a club and it is possible that others will follow suit. PGMOL will accept that Tierney made an error under the rules of the game in Saturday’s shootout.
Reid was accused of “using abusive and/or insulting language towards match officials” before and after his dismissal by the Football Association. He was also accused of acting “inappropriately” following his dismissal. Forest were accused of failing to ensure that players and coaches “did not behave inappropriately” after the match had finished.
As well as his role at Forest, Clattenburg took on the role of referee in the reboot of hit ITV show Gladiators. He will be a commentator for the US channel Fox Sports at the European Championship finals this summer. He is also a columnist for the Daily Mail.