'Maverick' Mark Clattenburg took 'a gamble too far' after making Chelsea vs Tottenham 'all about him'

Former referee Dermot Gallagher has added to the criticism of Clattenburg after he admitted to not sending off three Spurs players in May 2016 due to his 'game plan'

Mark Clattenburg has been labelled a 'maverick; by fellow former referee Dermot Gallagher (Getty)

Mark Clattenburg has been described as a “maverick” who took “a gamble too far” by another former referee following his controversial comments about how he officiated the game between Chelsea and Tottenham in May 2016 with a “game plan”.

The 41-year-old Clattenburg, who now works in Saudi Arabia as the head of referees, made the headlines this week when he claimed that he should have sent-off three Spurs players during their 2-1 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge but didn’t because it would have made the game all about him.

Instead, Clattenburg claimed he let Tottenham “self-destruct” while booking nine of their players in the game that was dubbed the “Battle of the Bridge”, with both clubs receiving record fines from the Football Association and Mousa Dembele being handed a six-match ban for violent conduct towards Diego Costa.

The claims have led to Clattenburg being heavily criticised, which led to the former referee issuing a stern response on Tuesday, but fellow ox-official Dermot Gallagher believes that Clattenburg allowed his status as one of the Premier League’s leading referees go too far, and made the title-deciding encounter all about him even though his claim was that he wanted to do the opposite.

“We are duty bound to treat every player in every game firmly, fairly and consistently,” Gallagher said on BBC Five Live.

“He [Clattenburg] certainly didn't. It was all about him, wasn't it?”

Gallagher added: “The only thing you would say about what he did on the night is that he was consistent throughout. If he was a young referee making his way through and you saw a performance like that then an assessor would tear him to bits.

“Let's not forget one thing, he was a fantastic referee. He was an individual, there's no doubt about that. He had a maverick side to him.

“He was a fantastic referee and maybe he thought because he was respected so much by the players he could take those gambles. On this occasion it was a gamble too far.”

However, former footballers Ian Wright and Steve Claridge were far less generous with their comments, with the former claiming Clattenburg’s approach is “baffling” and the latter adding that it’s “a load of rubbish”.

“When you listen to him and that he went in with a game plan because he didn't want the headline of 'Clattenburg costs Spurs the title', there's something wrong about that,” said former Arsenal striker Wright.

Mark Clattenburg quit the Premier League for a role in Saudi Arabia (Getty)

“I can't see how a referee can go into a game thinking about anything other than officiating it in isolation. If people have to be sent off they have to be sent off. It's baffling for me.”

Ex-Leicester City forward Claridge added: “What a load of rubbish. Say he doesn't send those Tottenham players off, they beat Chelsea and they win the league. How does his masterplan work then?”