Mark Clattenburg has quit Premier League refereeing to take up a position in Saudi Arabia, report the BBC.
Despite several controversies during his time officiating in English football, Clattenburg is widely regarded as one of the best referees in the country. In 2016 he took charge of the Euro 2016 final and Champions League final, which was testament to the good work he was doing in England’s top tier.
However, Premier League chiefs have been left with a major headache, as the BBC report Clattenburg has jumped ship to soak up the sun in Saudi Arabia.
As per the BBC, Clattenburg will depart before the next round of Premier League games. They believe that he will work alongside Saudi officials in order to improve the standard of refereeing in the division. He will also take charge of some games himself.
There is no doubt that many will be glad to see the back of Clattenburg, but with the standard of refereeing in England as bad as it has ever been, we could probably have done without losing one of our better ones.