Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has made a huge revelation about Nigerian football icon John Mikel Obi, accusing the former Chelsea midfielder of attempting to physically attack him after a fiery encounter between Chelsea and Manchester United in 2012, Footynaija.com reports.
The shocking claim comes more than a decade after the controversial match at Stamford Bridge, which saw Clattenburg accused of racially abusing Mikel, an allegation that rocked English football and triggered an intense FA investigation.
Now, speaking on the Undr The Cosh podcast, Clattenburg has reopened old wounds, claiming the Super Eagles legend stormed into the referees’ dressing room in rage and threw punches at him following the game.
“There was a bit of commotion outside the dressing room door,” Clattenburg recounted, per Pulse Sports.
“As I opened the door, John Obi Mikel came bursting through and started swinging punches. I ducked. He tried to pin me against the wall and went: ‘F****** h***!’”
According to the English referee, the chaotic moment left everyone stunned and nearly pushed him into early retirement.
“I didn’t want to come back. I wanted to finish refereeing after that. It was an absolute disgrace what happened.”
The infamous clash between Chelsea and Manchester United in October 2012 ended in a 3-2 win for the visitors, but what followed after the final whistle drew more attention than the result itself.
Chelsea players had alleged Clattenburg used racial slurs against Mikel during the match, a claim that was later found to be unsubstantiated after thorough investigations by the FA. The referee was exonerated, while Mikel received a £60,000 fine and a three-match ban for using threatening language towards the official.