Mikel nearly wrecked my career — Ex-Premier League referee slams Super Eagles legend

More than a decade after one of the most infamous nights in Premier League history, former referee Mark Clattenburg has reopened old wounds by accusing Nigerian football legend John Mikel Obi of nearly destroying his career.

The retired official claimed that Mikel never apologised for what he described as a baseless and damaging accusation following a heated clash between Chelsea and Manchester United in 2012.

Speaking on the Beast Mode podcast, Clattenburg revisited that controversial night when Manchester United edged Chelsea 3–2 in a drama-filled encounter at Stamford Bridge.

“Manchester United at Stamford Bridge 2012, it was controversial,” he recalled. “I sent off Fernando Torres, but the third goal of Manchester United was offside.

“It was one of those where he’s come from an offside position to an onside position. Much tougher for the assistant, but he gets it wrong. We didn’t have VAR, and Manchester United won 3-2.”

Tensions exploded after the final whistle when Chelsea players stormed into the referee’s dressing room. “If a footballer wants to come in and assault us, and threw punches in my dressing room and comes into my dressing room… He got a three-match suspension after it,” Clattenburg recounted, referring to Mikel.

The controversy deepened when Mikel accused Clattenburg of racially abusing him during the heated match, an allegation that sparked widespread outrage at the time. After a full investigation, the Football Association cleared Clattenburg of wrongdoing, citing a lack of evidence.

“After the investigation of being accused of calling Obi Mikel some racist words, it was proven not guilty by the Football Association because the cameras disproved their argument, and Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole were closer and both said they didn’t hear anything. However, Ramires did, who doesn’t speak any English,” Clattenburg said pointedly.

Reflecting on the toll the incident took on his career and reputation, the former referee added bitterly, “For years, I gave a lot to the management of football players, and years later, he still can’t apologise, which sums up the person he is, because he nearly wrecked my life and nearly wrecked my career.”

While both men have since moved on, Mikel into punditry and Clattenburg into refereeing consultancy, the episode remains one of the darker chapters in Premier League’s fight against racism and referee intimidation.