Mark Clattenburg's career has taken another random turn as he is set to take over as the Head of Refereeing for the Greek Football Federation.
The former Premier League referee will travel to Athens next week to have meetings with the president of the Hellenic Football Federation and start his new role. In a statement today announcing the news, the Federation said:
"Mr. Mark Clattenburg (England) was unanimously elected for the position of Chairman of the Central Arbitration Committee of the EPO." Clattenburg will be taking over from former Portuguese referee Vitor Melo Perreira.
Speaking about the move to the Daily Mail Clattenburg said:
The time is right to quit refereeing. At 45 it becomes a different challenge mentally. Now, I want to start looking at the education and management side of refereeing.
‘I’ve had a wonderful career and I want to put my experience back in rather than walking away. It’s an exciting new chapter and challenge.
What has Mark Clattenburg been up to since leaving the Premier League?
This role may seem a little left of centre for a former Premier League referee but it isn't the first time Clattenburg has opted for the unexpected. Clattenburg officiated in the Premier League for 13 years until he left his position in 2017 to take over as Head of Refereeing for the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. He took over the role from former PL referee Howard Webb, with the aim of improving the standards of refereeing in the domestic leagues.
However, after leaving Saudi Arabia in late 2018, Clattenburg returned to refereeing the following spring when he was offered a position by the Chinese Super League. Since then he had refereed 28 matches in the CSL.
Now he's on his way to Greece, the 45-year old will select another two members to join him on his new committee.
