Clattenberg on his historic blunder: “It was not my fault”

A serious blunder, for which he is not responsible, Mark Clattenberg describes in his book that happened in 2005. Then in a match between Manchester United and Tottenham, he did not see that the ball crossed the goal line for… one meter of the hosts, before Roy Carroll removes her.

“It’s no surprise that my relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson started well, even though it happened for the wrong reasons from my point of view. It was January 2005, when I first whistled Manchester United’s game against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. I was then a referee for just five months in the Premier League. The match was at 0-0 reaching 89 ‘, when Pedro Mendes made a shot from distance and the ball went about one meter through the goal line before Roy Carroll took it out. Only my assistant and I did not see it and did not award the goal. It was not our fault, I will analyze below why, but he gave a point to United and deprived Tottenham of the victory. “Fergie certainly had no problem with me that day and was always pleasant whenever I met him in the following years,” he says.

“How could I see that?” Were they that far away? I should have guessed. To award a goal you must be 100% sure. That was impossible for me. Without line technology it was impossible to count the goal. When I saw the replay after the match, I was shocked. The ball had gone too far through the goal line. But I insist that it was not my fault, nor that of my assistant, because from the position we were in we could not see it. It’s one of the most famous mistakes in history, but I could not do otherwise. The human eye was unlucky at such a stage. Fortunately, this phase initiated the processes for line technology. Of course, Tottenham fans do not see it that way and even today they remind me of it. “Of all the decisions I made in my career, this would be the first one I would change.”

As for the pressure felt by the referees who “whistled” United’s games, he said: “Ferguson used to blame everyone, from the referee to the lady of the catering. He wanted to create a certain mentality in his players, but also to influence future decisions of the referees by paying them in advance. His players used to come to you en masse after a decision they did not like. As if they had a rotation system, 3-4 different people came each time so as not to be expelled. Ferdinand, Neville, Keane, Scholes and Rooney came and stuck in your face. You had to be wise to understand your motivation. They did not want to change your decision, but to influence you for the next one you will take. With me, however, this did not work. There was no prejudice against United by the referees, as fans of other teams claim. There was definitely an aura, of course, because we are talking about Manchester United. You had to be spiritually strong to go to Old Trafford, because they would do anything to influence you. Fergie could turn the crowd against the referee by jumping for a decision. It scared you and it is not a shame to admit it. Everyone would feel the pressure, the point is to be able to resist. That makes a referee good. ”

Follow News Bulletin 247 on Google News to be the first to hear the latest news .