03-23-2021, 02:37 PM
'I can't apologise' - Chelsea icon, John Obi Mikel says he won't say sorry to ex- Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg over 2012 racism row
Â
Because of the allegations, Clattenburg missed four weekends of Premier League matches before he was cleared by the Football Association, while the police also dropped their own inquiry.Â
Â
Chelsea accepted the findings and said the club regretted the impact the saga had on Clattenburg.
Â
Speaking to The Athletic in a recent interview, Mikel said it's not in his place to apologise to Clattenburg because it was Ramires who made the claims to him.Â
Â
Â
'In the heat of the game, players go through emotions,' Mikel said. 'Your colleague said they heard something, but they may not have heard right. Did he say it or not? I didn't know.Â
Â
'But if your colleague comes up to you, of course you're going to trust what they say, someone you see and speak to every day.
Â
'So I can't apologise for something that my colleague said he (Clattenburg) did.'
Â
Ramires was the only player on the pitch who claimed to have heard the abuse and the FA said that the complaint was made in good faith.
Â
Â
Mikel explained that after speaking to Ramires, he was left furious and went after Clattenburg in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge.
Â
'I lost it. I was so angry,' Mikel said. 'We’d lost the game as well. There were a few decisions he’d given that cost us the game. Everything just boiled up. That was it.Â
Â
'I wanted to confront him, find out if he did say that word. I wasn’t really allowed to speak to him, he didn’t want to.
Â
'It was crazy in the tunnel. I don’t think anyone at the club had seen me like that before. I had lots of people trying to hold me back… the players, the club. Everyone came out. It was a case of, "try and stop me". I wanted to break down that door to the referee’s room and ask him questions. I was livid.'
Â
The FA investigation, upon clearing Clattenburg, charged Mikel with misconduct. He was banned for three matches and fined ÂŁ60,000.
Â
In a statement given after he was cleared, Clattenburg said: 'I am looking forward to putting this behind me and concentrating on refereeing in the Premier League and other competitions.
Â
'The messages of encouragement from those inside and outside of the game have helped me through the most stressful time of my professional life.
Â
'To know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening.'
Â
Meanwhile, Mikel Obi currently plays for Championship side Stoke, who are 11th in the league.Â
'I can't apologise' - Chelsea icon, John Obi Mikel says he won't say sorry to ex- Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg over 2012 racism row
Former Nigerian international and Chelsea icon, John Obi Mikel has said he won't apologize to ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg over the 2012 racism row.
Â
In October 2012, Mikel's former team-mate Ramires claimed he heard Clattenburg say 'shut up you monkey' to Mikel in Chelsea's 3-2 defeat by Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.Â
Â
Â
Because of the allegations, Clattenburg missed four weekends of Premier League matches before he was cleared by the Football Association, while the police also dropped their own inquiry.Â
Â
Chelsea accepted the findings and said the club regretted the impact the saga had on Clattenburg.
Â
Speaking to The Athletic in a recent interview, Mikel said it's not in his place to apologise to Clattenburg because it was Ramires who made the claims to him.Â
Â
Â
'In the heat of the game, players go through emotions,' Mikel said. 'Your colleague said they heard something, but they may not have heard right. Did he say it or not? I didn't know.Â
Â
'But if your colleague comes up to you, of course you're going to trust what they say, someone you see and speak to every day.
Â
'So I can't apologise for something that my colleague said he (Clattenburg) did.'
Â
Ramires was the only player on the pitch who claimed to have heard the abuse and the FA said that the complaint was made in good faith.
Â
Â
Mikel explained that after speaking to Ramires, he was left furious and went after Clattenburg in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge.
Â
'I lost it. I was so angry,' Mikel said. 'We’d lost the game as well. There were a few decisions he’d given that cost us the game. Everything just boiled up. That was it.Â
Â
'I wanted to confront him, find out if he did say that word. I wasn’t really allowed to speak to him, he didn’t want to.
Â
'It was crazy in the tunnel. I don’t think anyone at the club had seen me like that before. I had lots of people trying to hold me back… the players, the club. Everyone came out. It was a case of, "try and stop me". I wanted to break down that door to the referee’s room and ask him questions. I was livid.'
Â
The FA investigation, upon clearing Clattenburg, charged Mikel with misconduct. He was banned for three matches and fined ÂŁ60,000.
Â
In a statement given after he was cleared, Clattenburg said: 'I am looking forward to putting this behind me and concentrating on refereeing in the Premier League and other competitions.
Â
'The messages of encouragement from those inside and outside of the game have helped me through the most stressful time of my professional life.
Â
'To know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening.'
Â
Meanwhile, Mikel Obi currently plays for Championship side Stoke, who are 11th in the league.Â
Former Nigerian international and Chelsea icon, John Obi Mikel has said he won't apologize to ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg over the 2012 racisI October 2012, Mikel's former team-mate Ramires claimed he heard Clattenburg say 'shut up you monkey' to Mikel in Chelsea's 3-2 defeat by Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in the Premier Lea
Â
Because of the allegations, Clattenburg missed four weekends of Premier League matches before he was cleared by the Football Association, while the police also dropped their own inquiry.Â
Â
Chelsea accepted the findings and said the club regretted the impact the saga had on Clattenburg.
Â
Speaking to The Athletic in a recent interview, Mikel said it's not in his place to apologise to Clattenburg because it was Ramires who made the claims to him.Â
Â
Â
'In the heat of the game, players go through emotions,' Mikel said. 'Your colleague said they heard something, but they may not have heard right. Did he say it or not? I didn't know.Â
Â
'But if your colleague comes up to you, of course you're going to trust what they say, someone you see and speak to every day.
Â
'So I can't apologise for something that my colleague said he (Clattenburg) did.'
Â
Ramires was the only player on the pitch who claimed to have heard the abuse and the FA said that the complaint was made in good faith.
Â
Â
Mikel explained that after speaking to Ramires, he was left furious and went after Clattenburg in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge.
Â
'I lost it. I was so angry,' Mikel said. 'We’d lost the game as well. There were a few decisions he’d given that cost us the game. Everything just boiled up. That was it.Â
Â
'I wanted to confront him, find out if he did say that word. I wasn’t really allowed to speak to him, he didn’t want to.
Â
'It was crazy in the tunnel. I don’t think anyone at the club had seen me like that before. I had lots of people trying to hold me back… the players, the club. Everyone came out. It was a case of, "try and stop me". I wanted to break down that door to the referee’s room and ask him questions. I was livid.'
Â
The FA investigation, upon clearing Clattenburg, charged Mikel with misconduct. He was banned for three matches and fined ÂŁ60,000.
Â
In a statement given after he was cleared, Clattenburg said: 'I am looking forward to putting this behind me and concentrating on refereeing in the Premier League and other competitions.
Â
'The messages of encouragement from those inside and outside of the game have helped me through the most stressful time of my professional life.
Â
'To know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening.'
Â
Meanwhile, Mikel Obi currently plays for Championship side Stoke, who are 11th in the league.Â
'I can't apologise' - Chelsea icon, John Obi Mikel says he won't say sorry to ex- Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg over 2012 racism row
Former Nigerian international and Chelsea icon, John Obi Mikel has said he won't apologize to ex-Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg over the 2012 racism row.
Â
In October 2012, Mikel's former team-mate Ramires claimed he heard Clattenburg say 'shut up you monkey' to Mikel in Chelsea's 3-2 defeat by Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.Â
Â
Â
Because of the allegations, Clattenburg missed four weekends of Premier League matches before he was cleared by the Football Association, while the police also dropped their own inquiry.Â
Â
Chelsea accepted the findings and said the club regretted the impact the saga had on Clattenburg.
Â
Speaking to The Athletic in a recent interview, Mikel said it's not in his place to apologise to Clattenburg because it was Ramires who made the claims to him.Â
Â
Â
'In the heat of the game, players go through emotions,' Mikel said. 'Your colleague said they heard something, but they may not have heard right. Did he say it or not? I didn't know.Â
Â
'But if your colleague comes up to you, of course you're going to trust what they say, someone you see and speak to every day.
Â
'So I can't apologise for something that my colleague said he (Clattenburg) did.'
Â
Ramires was the only player on the pitch who claimed to have heard the abuse and the FA said that the complaint was made in good faith.
Â
Â
Mikel explained that after speaking to Ramires, he was left furious and went after Clattenburg in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge.
Â
'I lost it. I was so angry,' Mikel said. 'We’d lost the game as well. There were a few decisions he’d given that cost us the game. Everything just boiled up. That was it.Â
Â
'I wanted to confront him, find out if he did say that word. I wasn’t really allowed to speak to him, he didn’t want to.
Â
'It was crazy in the tunnel. I don’t think anyone at the club had seen me like that before. I had lots of people trying to hold me back… the players, the club. Everyone came out. It was a case of, "try and stop me". I wanted to break down that door to the referee’s room and ask him questions. I was livid.'
Â
The FA investigation, upon clearing Clattenburg, charged Mikel with misconduct. He was banned for three matches and fined ÂŁ60,000.
Â
In a statement given after he was cleared, Clattenburg said: 'I am looking forward to putting this behind me and concentrating on refereeing in the Premier League and other competitions.
Â
'The messages of encouragement from those inside and outside of the game have helped me through the most stressful time of my professional life.
Â
'To know you were innocent of something but that there was the opportunity for it to wreck your career was truly frightening.'
Â
Meanwhile, Mikel Obi currently plays for Championship side Stoke, who are 11th in the league.Â