Over a decade of refereeing in the Premier League helped Mark Clattenburg develop a thick skin, but he still came close to quitting following the fallout from Chelsea's clash with Manchester United in 2012.
Clattenburg became one of the most high-profile referees in the game once he began officiating in the Premier League in 2004, enjoying a 13-year career despite a number of controversial moments.
The most notable of these came after Manchester United beat Chelsea 3-2 in a fiery game at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea duo Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres were both sent off by Clattenburg, who was later accused by the Blues of directing racist comments at John Obi Mikel.
He was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing and Mikel was given a three-match ban and fined £60,000 for using “threatening and/or abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour”.
“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,” Clattenburg says.
“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.
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