A fascinating story on another Jose Mourinho incident has emerged, thanks to full disclosure by former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg in his new autobiography.
According to the experienced referee, a skirmish with the Special One forced him to hang up his refereeing boots aged just 41.
As Manchester United – then coached by Mourinho – visited Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium on 21 January 2017, Clattenburg took charge of the game that ended with a 1-1 scoreline and a bucketful of controversial incidents, the cream of which was an alleged handball by Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross.
Wayne Rooney had equalized for the Red Devils with a late free-kick before the match came to an end and just minutes after, Mourinho apparently barged into the referee’s dressing room.
Clattenburg explains in his book ‘Whistle Blower’ of the following conversation that took place between the manager and the referee. Here is an excerpt:
“Not long after full time there was a knock on my room door and Mourinho came in when I was just taking my boots off. ‘You must be happy this time,’ I said. ‘You can’t blame be for that draw, can you?’
‘I can’, he said, and started going on about a handball in the penalty area by Shawcross. ‘What you on about?’ I said. I got that right I know I did.’
‘No, I’ve seen the video, you were wrong.’ He was going on and on. Shut up man, will you? I picked up my boot and launched it against the wall next to him. F**king get out of my dressing room. Get out!
Mourinho froze. I lost it with him. I did not give a sh*t anymore. He did not know what to say. I was so fed up with all of the ridiculous mind games.
I drove home while going over and over the Shawcross incident. I watched it on Match of the Day and I was right, the ball hit him flush on the chest. So why was Mourinho playing funny buggers with me?
I went to bed that night and I knew I’d had enough. ‘You know what,’ I thought, ‘I can’t be bothered with idiots like that anymore.”
Clattenburg hung up his boots less than a month later after the incident, with his final game arriving between Leicester City and West Bromwich Albion. He officiated hundreds of Premier League matches between 2004 and 2017.