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Mark Clattenburg says that when he was refereeing, Manchester
United were given favourable decisions.
Mark Clattenburg was one of the Premier League’s premier
referees from 2004 to 2017, a lengthy span that coincided with much
of the later period of Alex Ferguson’s time in charge at Manchester United.
Now, in an effort to defend current Premier League officials
from criticisms from Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp suggesting
United are seeing favourable officiating, Clattenburg has said that
any refereeing bias in favour of United has eased.
It’s rather damning, and seemingly without being at all aware of
it. Clattenburg saying a club get fewer favourable
decisions now, since the days Ferguson was in charge and he was
officiating.
“He is wrong to suggest there is an aura around United that sees
them given favourable decisions,” Clattenburg said of Klopp in
The Daily Mail
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massively since he left.”
Clattenburg also, while admitting by his count five of United’s
past 11 penalties have come from players inviting contact, suggests
it’s hypocritical for Klopp to complain as Liverpool players may
also invite contact in the penalty area.
Of course, even if one accepts that they do, too, the results
would seem to speak for themselves: United are regularly being
awarded penalties for such invitations of contact that Liverpool
aren’t.
Whether it’s the result of bias or chance, it’s a reality the
statistics appear to back up and that Clattenburg himself admits to
having seen—alongside admitting that when he was a referee, United
received favourable decisions.