Mark Clattenburg claims Chelsea ace swung for him and accuses club of wanting 'John Terry payback'

Mark Clattenburg has accused Chelsea of seeking revenge after his role in John Terry's discrimination case, as he opened up on his infamous bust-up with John Obi Mikel.

The former Premier League official made the allegation as he claimed Mikel tried to punch him after the Blues' home defeat to Manchester United in October 2012. Clattenburg was accused of using a racial slur at Mikel during the match.

He was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, while the midfielder received a ban and a £60,000 fine for threatening the official. During an appearance on the Undr The Cosh podcast, Clattenburg was asked whether he believed Chelsea felt obligated to support their player following the Nigerian's allegations.

However, Clattenburg suggested the Blues were seeking "payback" after Terry had been sanctioned for an incident involving QPR's Anton Ferdinand the previous year. Terry received a ban and £220,000 fine from the FA after they determined he had racially abused Ferdinand. Westminster Magistrates' Court cleared him of criminal charges.

Clattenburg, who hung up his whistle in 2017, said: "I don't believe it had anything to do with that [backing Mikel]. I think it was a payback, I honestly do. For John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, QPR vs Chelsea, when John was accused of saying some words to Anton.

"The balance of probability is different from the FA to the English law. So the FA charged him and he was found guilty. So I feel like that [the Mikel incident] was to get back at the refereeing.

"Because [Chelsea vs United] was a controversial game... I gave a goal, the assistant didn't give an offside, and the third goal was controversial. Also, I'd sent off Fernando Torres for a dive after already sending off another Chelsea player earlier in the match, so I'm probably guilty of enhancing the tension.

"They were probably upset with the result and I just felt that they went bang, 'I'm after the referee.' Because I didn't know I'd been accused of anything until an hour after the match when I was walking through Heathrow Airport and it's breaking news on the phone."

Recounting the altercation with Mikel, Clattenburg recalled: "The drug testing was next to our dressing room with Chelsea and there was a bit of commotion outside our dressing room, so I opened the door thinking, 'What the f***ing hell's going on here?' As I opened the door Obi Mikel came bursting through.

"Then he started swinging punches. I ducked and he tried to pin me against the wall. I didn't know what had gone on at that point.

"A delegate came down and after that attempted assault, all they were talking about was what I was going to report. Nothing about racism, only what happened in the dressing room with Obi Mikel. An hour later, I was accused of being a racist."

Obi Mikel and Chelsea have been approached for comment.

The Durham official recently opened up about how the racism accusation led to a distressing time for him and his family, even admitting that he might have taken his own life if not for his young daughter.

Speaking on The High Performance podcast, Clattenburg said: "My daughter. My child, because she didn't deserve it. She was only little. I brought her into the world and it was my responsibility to look after her. If I wasn't so strong-willed, I'm not sure I would be here today."

Clattenburg, who also has a son named Nathan from his first marriage, confessed that he would have liked to have quit football but couldn't due to financial obligations, such as "having a mortgage to pay."

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