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Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has warned England’s top officials that they could be banned from the Champions League, Euros and World Cups if they take up the opportunity to move to Saudi Arabia. The Middle East have recruited a host of top footballing stars over the past year and now they are reportedly targeting the game’s leading referees.
The Times have claimed that referees from both the Premier League and across Europe’s top divisions have been sounded out about the possibility of moving to Saudi, which has put leagues on red-alert in fear that officials could cash in on a big payday.
Michael Oliver, one of England’s most highly regarded referees, officiated a match between Al-Hilal and Al Nassr and pocketed £3,000 – roughly twice as much as he would earn for a Premier League match.
Clattenberg took up a role in the Saudi Arabian Football Federation in 2017 for two years, replacing Howard Webb as their head of refereeing, but has had a warning for those considering a similar move and urged referees to be cautious.
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Clattenburg told The Times: “My problem with the idea of having full-time referees going there from Europe is that I can’t see referees giving up the chance to referee in the Champions League, Euros or World Cup unless they are at the end of their career. I thought I would be able to still go to the World Cup taking one of the European places but FIFA and UEFA insisted I should be viewed as a Saudi referee and I did not want to take the place of anyone from there.
“There are financial rewards of course but it is a culture shock when you are there. You have to adapt to and respect a different culture, there is no alcohol available, you organise your life around prayer time, but Riyadh and Jeddah are beautiful cities too.
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There will be widespread concern across Europe that their top officials could be poached by the Saudi Pro League at a time when especially in England there has been increasing scrutiny on referees.
Whether the possible deterrent of missing out on top international tournaments is enough remains to be seen, as the Middle East continues to flex their financial muscles after securing a host of top footballing talent.
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