Mark Clattenburg releases statement after backlash to Vini Jr comments | Football | Sport
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has delivered a grovelling apology following his comments on the Vinicius Jr racism controversy. The Real Madrid forward scored during his team’s Champions League tie with Benfica on Tuesday night. He also alleged that Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni made a racist remark, which prompted match official Francois Letexier to activate UEFA’s anti-racism procedures.
The match was halted for approximately 10 minutes. During the interruption, Clattenburg said: “As a referee, I have had this situation before when players have reported a racial comment on the field of play. All he (the referee) can do is make the report. Afterwards, then UEFA will look into this. As a referee it is very difficult in this situation.”
The former official also claimed that Vinicius Jr “has not helped himself out” by celebrating in front of the home fans. Clattenburg also claimed that the Brazilian had made the matter tougher for referee Francois Letexier.
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“Yes, he scored a wonderful goal, but he should have just returned over to the other side of the pitch, and he could have got on with the game,” Clattenburg said on commentary for Amazon Prime.
“Vinicius Junior has not helped himself. He’s made this difficult for the referee. He’s scored a wonderful goal and all he has to do – yes, celebrate – is return back. But he has made this situation very, very difficult.”
Those remarks have sparked outrage, with Clattenburg issuing an apology. A statement posted on his social media platforms on Wednesday read: “Nothing justifies racism in sport or in life. I’m grateful to have a chance to follow-up on last night, I got it wrong, I’m sorry.
“It was live TV, my job is to respond in the moment and the words I used were clumsy and not right. I’m already learning from this and appreciate my colleagues who covered the situation with class throughout.”
The incident at the Estadio da Luz has sparked a UEFA investigation. FIFA president Gianni Infantino issued a statement on the incident, which read: “I was shocked and saddened to see the incident of alleged racism towards Vinicius Junior in the UEFA Champions League match between Benfica and Real Madrid CF.
“There is absolutely no room for racism in our sport and in society. We need all the relevant stakeholders to take action and hold those responsible to account.
“At FIFA, through the Global Stand Against Racism and the Players’ Voice Panel, we are committed to ensuring that players, officials and fans are respected and protected, and that appropriate action is taken when incidents occur.
“I commend referee François Letexier for activating the anti-racism protocol by using the arm gesture to stop the game and address the situation. FIFA and football shows full solidarity to victims of racism and any form of discrimination. I will always continue to reiterate: No to racism! No to any form of discrimination!”
