"Former EPL referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed he nearly took his own life after being accused of racism by Mikel John Obi."

 "Former EPL referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed he nearly took his own life after being accused of racism by Mikel John Obi."

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has disclosed that he came perilously close to taking his own life after being falsely accused of making a racist comment towards Chelsea’s Mikel John Obi in 2012.

In an interview on the High Performance podcast, Clattenburg, now 50, expressed how the incident left him feeling trapped and desperate. He stated, “The Obi Mikel situation affected me a lot and affected my family a lot. That was the closest I’ve ever been to suicide. If I didn’t have a way out and I couldn’t referee anymore, what could I do? If I’m a racist, I’m not going to get a job in normal life. My life’s finished.”

Clattenburg revealed that the motivation to persevere came from his infant daughter. “My child didn’t deserve it. She was only little. If I was on my own, single, that was the easiest decision in the world. But when you’ve got responsibilities, it makes you fight more.”

He recounted the moment he first learned of the allegations through a Sky Sports alert on his phone while at Heathrow Airport. “Then the phone calls started. I was about to board a flight to Newcastle. When I landed, my partner Claire was hysterical. Everyone thought I was guilty.”

Although Clattenburg was later exonerated by both the Football Association and the police, he admitted that the fallout from the accusations nearly cost him his life and career. “If I wasn’t so strong-willed, I’m not sure I’d be here today. I wanted to quit football, but I couldn’t—I had a mortgage, a family to support. I was unemployable outside refereeing because I’d been out of my old industry too long.”

Despite the trauma he endured, Clattenburg went on to officiate significant matches, including the Euro 2016 final and the Champions League final, solidifying his status among the sport’s elite referees.