Former referee Mark Clattenburg sparks debate among Liverpool fans with ‘game management’ comment during Champions League win over AC Milan

Mark Clattenburg split opinion with a suggestion on how the referee might better manage Liverpool’s 3-1 comeback win over AC Milan, with home fans growing increasingly hostile at the San Siro. 

The former FIFA referee is now employed by Amazon as an expert on their Champions League coverage and was part of Tuesday night’s broadcast.

Arne Slot’s side got back in the winning column at the San Siro to put behind the disappointment of a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. 

After leaking an early goal on the counter from Milan’s Christian Pulisic, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Dominik Szoboszlai all scored as the Reds commanded the game. 

Milan’s fans were whipped into a feverish state – in the second half the Curva Sud ultras were reportedly shouting ‘Show some balls’ and ‘You’ve p****d us off‘ – and Clattenburg offered a suggestion to soothe them that seemed to split opinion.

Clattenburg suggested referee Espen Eskas (pictured) should give some ‘small fouls’ in AC Milan’s favour to win back the crowd

Milan supporters vented their frustration with their players after a tricky start to the season

‘I think he (the referee) needs to calm the crowd down, the crowd is against him… I think he just needs to give one or two small fouls to get the judgement back,’ Clattenburg said. 

Liverpool fans did not respond kindly to the suggestion that referee Espen Eskas should offer some smaller decisions in favour of Milan. 

‘It’s mental, I couldn’t believe it when he said that,’ wrote one on X, formerly Twitter.

‘Clattenburg telling the ref to give Milan small fouls to appease the crowd, what an outrageous thing to say,’ another said. 

‘I was just thinking what a great job the ref has done and then they brought Clattenburg on to tell us how he should be ruining the game,’ one wrote. 

‘Yeah I heard that too. Mental. Referee shouldn’t be managing the crowd’s emotions,’ said another. 

Meanwhile, others saw logic in Clattenburg’s advice, with one writing: ‘It’s actually correct, he’s not saying give them a foul for nothing, but give them a couple of the soft ones. It’s called game management! Otherwise you’ll lose the crowd and the players and things will spill over. Mark is correct and the ref tonight was brilliant.’ 

Milan’s fans have been generally unhappy with the start to the season, with the Rossoneri 10th in Serie A after one win in four games under new manager Paulo Fonseca. 

Liverpool fans could not believe the comment but some people saw logic in the advice 

Clattenburg, 49, refereed the 2016 finals of the European Championship and the Champions League.

In 2017, he left his role officiating matches in the Premier League to replace Howard Webb as the Saudi Arabian Football Federation’s head of refereeing. 

He had been earning £100,000 per year in England but his earnings rocketed to a minimum of £500,000 tax-free in Saudi Arabia.

In February he was appointed by Nottingham Forest as their referees’ analyst, before leaving the role in May.

He has also been the lead referee in the BBC TV show Gladiators and has enjoyed the distinction of being a Mail Sport columnist.  

Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Dominik Szoboszlai (pictured) were on target on the night

Comment by CRAIG HOPE

Having helped Mark Clattenburg write his book, I know exactly what he meant by the comment. 

At first, I too was taken aback by the idea of decisions that help restore balance & calm. But it’s clever. To be clear – he’s not advocating giving incorrect decisions. Not at all. He’s saying the referee should take the next chance he gets to give an easy one to the team who feel aggrieved, even just a soft foul on halfway. 

We explored it greatly in the book. It’s about defusing situations & refereeing sensibly. It’s why he went to the top & teams wanted him in charge. He knew how to handle players/managers/fans & their perceived injustice. 

Read the book… it certainly changed my thinking on how the best referees operate. Fair play to him for being honest enough to reveal this.