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When we are discussing football matches, there is one name we never want to mention and that’s the referee’s, because the best referees are the ones we don’t notice.
Unfortunately, we certainly noticed Mark Clattenburg on Saturday night at Old Trafford.
Mr. Clattenburg claims to be a United fan. A Newcastle United fan. But I’m pretty sure he got his United’s mixed up. In fact, he might as well have taken off his official’s shirt to reveal a United replica strip when Nani scored the season’s most controversial goal against Spurs.
I’m not saying he’s biased against Tottenham, but this is the second bizarre decision he’s given against the Londoners at Old Trafford.
Cast your minds back to the 2005 campaign when Pedro Mendes launched a missile from the half-way line. The much maligned former-United goalkeeper Roy Carroll backpedalled furiously towards his goal line, like some drunken center-fielder, only to spill the ball a good three feet into the back of his net. Goal to Spurs - not in Clattenburg's world.
Fast forward to this Saturday with United leading one-nil courtesy of some slack Tottenham marking and Clattenburg takes his moment to find the spotlight.
Let’s take a look at the facts that surrounded Nani’s clincher:
Nani and Alan Hutton were tangling for the ball. Nani had a better position than Hutton but did not look in control. Nani then dived looking for a penalty. The Portugal star then had a sulk because a penalty was not awarded and then handled the ball. No, he hugged the ball while 75,000 fans watched on.
Tottenham goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes, picked up the ball and, like the 75,000 fans, he assumed a free kick had been awarded for the handball. Nani, having miraculously recovered from his sulk, crept up from behind and booted the ball into the back of the net, after being waved to do so from Clattenburg, who was either cheering or directing traffic from the replay I watched.
The assistant referee, Simon Beck, obviously saw something as he raised his flag. Clattenburg went to confer with his assistant but first waved away any Spurs players whilst allowing Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand to participate in the discussion. Clattenburg then awards the goal and proceeds to Lambeau leap into the Stretford End with Nani in celebration. I made the celebration bit up.
Now, Gomes and Tottenham must take some of the blame for this fiasco, as they forgot the most basic rule of football and that is to ‘play to the whistle.’ But how does Clattenburg not see the handball and then overrule his assistant?
I would certainly not go as far as to insinuate that he’s taken money, but he has had a checkered past of sorts.
He was dismissed from the Premier League following an investigation into his personal life and business debts in which he denied any wrongdoing and then subsequently appealed.
He won his appeal and was re-instated. However, he did have to serve an eight-month suspension.
With this kind of mark on his resume you’d think that he’d be highly conservative and stay away from the situations that will make the headlines scream.
To disallow the goal would’ve been the smart play, because Spurs were not going to score in a month of Sunday’s which their manager, Harry Redknapp basically admitted when he said, "we were losing 1-0 and the chances are we'd have been beaten 1-0. I don't blame Mark Clattenburg for the defeat. I think he's a good referee."
Obviously Redknapp was looking to avoid a fine from the Premier League because before he said the above statement he said: "What a farcical way to finish a game. It’s a handball, he’s deliberately handled it and it should’ve been a booking," adding "it was a scandalous decision and the referee has made a mess of it all. In the end he’ll come up with some excuse as to why he didn’t see it."
I’m inclined to agree with Redknapp because I’m sure the referees' association will circle the wagons and come up with a perfectly reasonable explanation.
What I do find crazy is that earlier in the week UEFA president, Michel Platini said that he feared that the use of technology would turn football into 'Playstation football.' It's ridiculous to keep ignoring technology when a call like that can be so bungled.
I’m sure that if you’d given Clattenburg the choice back in 2005 and this Saturday of sticking with his decision or getting another look, he’d bite your hand of for the latter.
Trust me, 'Playstation’ doesn’t get decisions of this magnitude that wrong.
Nick Webster is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the Barclay's Premier League and the English national team.
Unfortunately, we certainly noticed Mark Clattenburg on Saturday night at Old Trafford.
Mr. Clattenburg claims to be a United fan. A Newcastle United fan. But I’m pretty sure he got his United’s mixed up. In fact, he might as well have taken off his official’s shirt to reveal a United replica strip when Nani scored the season’s most controversial goal against Spurs.
I’m not saying he’s biased against Tottenham, but this is the second bizarre decision he’s given against the Londoners at Old Trafford.
Cast your minds back to the 2005 campaign when Pedro Mendes launched a missile from the half-way line. The much maligned former-United goalkeeper Roy Carroll backpedalled furiously towards his goal line, like some drunken center-fielder, only to spill the ball a good three feet into the back of his net. Goal to Spurs - not in Clattenburg's world.
Fast forward to this Saturday with United leading one-nil courtesy of some slack Tottenham marking and Clattenburg takes his moment to find the spotlight.
Let’s take a look at the facts that surrounded Nani’s clincher:
Nani and Alan Hutton were tangling for the ball. Nani had a better position than Hutton but did not look in control. Nani then dived looking for a penalty. The Portugal star then had a sulk because a penalty was not awarded and then handled the ball. No, he hugged the ball while 75,000 fans watched on.
Tottenham goalkeeper, Heurelho Gomes, picked up the ball and, like the 75,000 fans, he assumed a free kick had been awarded for the handball. Nani, having miraculously recovered from his sulk, crept up from behind and booted the ball into the back of the net, after being waved to do so from Clattenburg, who was either cheering or directing traffic from the replay I watched.
The assistant referee, Simon Beck, obviously saw something as he raised his flag. Clattenburg went to confer with his assistant but first waved away any Spurs players whilst allowing Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand to participate in the discussion. Clattenburg then awards the goal and proceeds to Lambeau leap into the Stretford End with Nani in celebration. I made the celebration bit up.
Now, Gomes and Tottenham must take some of the blame for this fiasco, as they forgot the most basic rule of football and that is to ‘play to the whistle.’ But how does Clattenburg not see the handball and then overrule his assistant?
I would certainly not go as far as to insinuate that he’s taken money, but he has had a checkered past of sorts.
He was dismissed from the Premier League following an investigation into his personal life and business debts in which he denied any wrongdoing and then subsequently appealed.
He won his appeal and was re-instated. However, he did have to serve an eight-month suspension.
With this kind of mark on his resume you’d think that he’d be highly conservative and stay away from the situations that will make the headlines scream.
To disallow the goal would’ve been the smart play, because Spurs were not going to score in a month of Sunday’s which their manager, Harry Redknapp basically admitted when he said, "we were losing 1-0 and the chances are we'd have been beaten 1-0. I don't blame Mark Clattenburg for the defeat. I think he's a good referee."
Obviously Redknapp was looking to avoid a fine from the Premier League because before he said the above statement he said: "What a farcical way to finish a game. It’s a handball, he’s deliberately handled it and it should’ve been a booking," adding "it was a scandalous decision and the referee has made a mess of it all. In the end he’ll come up with some excuse as to why he didn’t see it."
I’m inclined to agree with Redknapp because I’m sure the referees' association will circle the wagons and come up with a perfectly reasonable explanation.
What I do find crazy is that earlier in the week UEFA president, Michel Platini said that he feared that the use of technology would turn football into 'Playstation football.' It's ridiculous to keep ignoring technology when a call like that can be so bungled.
I’m sure that if you’d given Clattenburg the choice back in 2005 and this Saturday of sticking with his decision or getting another look, he’d bite your hand of for the latter.
Trust me, 'Playstation’ doesn’t get decisions of this magnitude that wrong.
Nick Webster is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering the Barclay's Premier League and the English national team.