Mark Clattenburg Names Player Who 'Grabbed His Balls' After Sending Off

Mark Clattenburg claimed a Premier League footballer once “grabbed his balls” after being sent off.

Clattenburg spent 14 years refereeing in the Premier League, with his career peaking in 2016 when he took charge of the UEFA Champions League final and the Euro final.

Moreover, his career saw him referee some of the game’s more fiery temperaments, including Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle United attacker Craig Bellamy.

The Welsh forward, who earned 78 caps for his country between 1998 and 2013, was once controversially sent off by Clattenburg against Bolton, with the former referee claimed the decision sparked a peculiar act of revenge.

“Craig Bellamy grabbed my b**** once”, a laughing Clattenburg alleged on the Mail’s Whistleblower Podcast. “I sent him off incorrectly against Bolton for diving.

“I'd already cautioned him for descent, and he was winding me up.

“I was young and daft, and I should have just ignored him.I remember coming down the tunnel, halftime, going out for the second half. I said to somebody at City: 'How do you put up with him?'

“I got reported for that. It was when City had started to turn from that family club to the club that they are now.

“Anyway, I ended up sending Craig off, a second yellow for diving. Watching it back, there was contact – he could've played on, but it was likely a penalty.

“When I next saw him at City, he was talking to somebody. As I walked past, he looked at us, put his arm out and squeezed my b****.

Clattenburg sent off Bellamy against Bolton in 2009 (Getty)

“But after that, it was all forgotten. Craig wasn't a guy who held grudges. He just moved on from it.”

SPORTbible has approached Bellamy’s representatives for comment.

Bellamy earned himself a fiery reputation from the pitch, but in the dugout is widely considered among the brightest young British managers. He spent a little more than two years working under Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht, first as the under-21 coach and then as the ex-Man City defenders assistant.

He has since taken over as Wales manager, where as per the Independent, he has a win record of 54.5 per cent - the best win percentage of any permanent Welsh manager.