Premier League: Mark Clattenburg was accused of racism in Chelsea vs Man Utd
Chelsea lost 3-2 to Manchester United in October 2012 as Javier Hernandez came off the bench to give Sir Alex Ferguson’s side all three points.
However, Clattenburg was in the spotlight after the game after Chelsea accused him of racially abusing John-Obi Mikel.
Clattenburg was cleared of the allegations but his family received death threats from angry Blues fans.
And the 43-year-old has now opened up on the incident.
“When I look back on the incidents in the Chelsea v Manchester United game in 2012 and the aftermath of that, I wanted to quit, but I was not in a position to do that,” he told Yahoo Sport.
“One day the whole truth will come out on what happened in that game and people will be surprised by that story.
“The incident on the day and what happened afterwards was not right and it left a lasting mark on me.
“It made me realise that football is not just a sport any more. There are bigger issues around that was not a football incident.
“Sometimes things happen in life that make you stronger and I am probably a better referee after that incident than I was before it, but it was still a difficult situation to live through.
“At the time, I wanted to quit and the support is not there in that kind of situation, but what can you do?
“In refereeing, you are stuck in an industry you can’t get out of and that is a difficult place to be in.
“You can’t step away from referee once you are in it for a very good reason.
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Premier League: Chelsea lost 3-2 to Manchester United in October 2012
Mark Clattenburg joins Saudi Arabian Football Federation
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“I have a family, they need to be looked after. I have left my profession as an electrical engineer behind and there is nowhere to go if I walk away from refereeing.
“This is a unique job in many ways and not always for the right reason.
“If you are a player or a manager or even a journalist, you can always get a job somewhere else if something goes wrong, but you can’t do that in refereeing.
“Who is going to employ me in a job outside football given my profile and the like?
“That is why I had to take the offer to move to Saudi Arabia when it came my way, as it offered me security to my family.
“People sometimes forget that referees are not there for a hobby or to live out the dream of being on the pitch as it is a job at the end of the day.”