Craig Bellamy grabbed me by the balls in Man City tunnel – I could only do one thing

Former Manchester City star Craig Bellamy had a reputation for his rebellious attitude, evidenced by a savage interaction with referee Mark Clattenburg in the tunnel of the Etihad Stadium

Mark Clattenburg has a stormy relationship with Craig Bellamy(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Mark Clattenburg has explained why he could only react one way after Craig Bellamy grabbed him by his balls.

The former Premier League referee admitted that he and the Welsh forward "didn't get on" throughout their respective careers. Bellamy was often a controversial figure in the game, and during an incident at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, he pushed the boundaries by allegedly grabbing the referee's testicles.

The root of the issues between Clattenburg and Bellamy stems back to a clash at Bolton's Reebok Stadium in December 2009. Bellamy, who was playing for City at the time, felt aggrieved after he was shown an early exit from the game by Clattenburg.

Speaking about the incident, the ex-referee told the Undr The Cosh podcast: "So I was refereeing City [against] Bolton, and I cautioned him for dissent. I could've sent him off, but I cautioned him for dissent.

"I remember speaking to a [City] club official, and I said, 'How do you put up with him week in, week out?' And they f*****g put it in the media the next day."

The game was locked at 2-2 at half-time before it concluded three-all. And Clattenburg, who has previously named Bellamy among his list of most annoying players to officiate, continued to insist that he meant nothing by his comments, and that it was simply banter with a club official.

The conversation was leaked, with Clattenburg saying of the informant: "F*****g bell, you know what I mean?" It may have contributed to the tension between Clattenburg and Bellamy, especially after he controversially sent him off for an alleged dive in an attempt to win a penalty later in the game.

Mark Clattenburg has spoken about the incident(Image: YouTube/Undr The Cosh)

The decision, which was heavily criticised by then-Manchester City manager Mark Hughes, was later conceded by Clattenburg to be "probably a bit harsh." He added: "He never forgave us. And I never forgave it.

"Me and him just didn't get on, y'know? Next time I was refereeing at Man City, and he was in the tunnel. And he said something to us. He said something like, 'F*****g w****r' or something like that and just grabbed my balls.

"I just saw the funny side of it. To be fair, he was right. There's no point being a**ey. He's right, I probably shouldn't have sent him off, but what happens happens. He dealt with it, I dealt with it, and we've moved on."

Clattenburg's laid-back response to the incident is notable, considering many referees might not have been so forgiving. It's one thing to send a player off during a match, but dealing with confrontations before the game even starts is quite another matter.

Bellamy and Clattenburg had a cagey relationship on the pitch(Image: PA)

Over his 18-year career, Bellamy was shown the red card four times: twice in the Premier League, once in the Champions League and once in the Championship during his early days with Norwich City. Interestingly, his first red card was dealt in 1998 when he was up against his future club, City, at Carrow Road.

After transferring to Newcastle United, he was sent off during a 3-1 victory over Arsenal in 2001, and again in a European match against Inter Milan the following year. Despite this, the Welshman might consider himself lucky not to have an additional mark against his name after a clash with Clattenburg 16 years ago.

Now leading his home nation, the Cardiff-born star will need to ensure he maintains his composure in any future tunnel confrontations.