Mark Clattenburg's decision to quit Premier League football has been confirmed.
The 41-year-old, somewhat unexpectedly, will take up a position with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
The news was confirmed via a statement from PGMOL.
Mark Clattenburg statement
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) would like to wish Mark Clattenburg well as he prepares for his move to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
Since joining the PGMOL Select Group in 2004, Mark developed into one of our top officials, refereeing at the highest level and setting standards for others to follow. His accomplishments are numerous and last season saw Mark achieve a memorable treble, on top of another consistently excellent season in the Premier League, as he officiated three major cup finals - the FA Cup final, the Uefa Champions League final and the Uefa Euro 2016 final.
Mark is a talented referee, he has been a great asset to the English game and hopefully an inspiration to those who want to get into refereeing at the grass roots of the game. We understand this is an exciting opportunity for Mark as well as further underlining what high esteem English match officials are held throughout the world game.
A move to MLS or China had been rumoured - and courted - by Clattenburg in recent weeks.
Presumably, this will adversely affect Henry Winter's push for Clattenburg to get an honour in the future.
