Referee Mark Clattenburg
is set to leave the Premier League to join the Saudi Arabian Football
Federation (SAFF), the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL)
has announced.
Clattenburg
has been the subject of speculation in recent months after admitting he
could - like many star European players - be lured away from England by an offer from the Chinese Super League.
Instead
it is another relatively wealthy football region that has succeeded in
tempting the 41-year-old to depart, although it is yet to be confirmed
what capacity Clattenburg will be employed in.
His
fellow former Premier League referee Howard Webb was appointed head of
refereeing by the SAFF in August 2015, but is understood to have
resigned this month upon accepting a role managing Video Assistant
Referee (VAR) operations in MLS.
"The
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) would like to wish
Mark Clattenburg well as he prepares for his move to the Saudi Arabian
Football Federation," the PGMOL said in a statement released via the
Premier League on Thursday.
"Since joining the PGMO Select
Group in 2004, Mark developed into one of our top officials, refereeing
at the highest level and setting standards for others to follow.
"His
accomplishments are numerous and last season saw Mark achieve a
memorable treble, on top of another consistently excellent season in the
Premier League, as he officiated three major cup finals - the FA Cup
final, the UEFA Champions League final and the UEFA Euro 2016 final.
"Mark
is a talented referee, he has been a great asset to the English game
and hopefully an inspiration to those who want to get into refereeing at
the grass roots of the game.
"We
understand this is an exciting opportunity for Mark as well as further
underlining what high esteem English match officials are held throughout
the world game."
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