Everton’s previous manager Keith Wyness feels Mark Clattenburg should be banned and punished for calling Stuart Attwell a Luton Town fan.
Speaking on the latest episode of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old, who was CEO at Goodison Park from 2004 to 2009 and now operates a football consultancy advising elite teams, predicted that the authorities would crack down hard on Clattenburg.
The former Premier League referee, who currently works as a consultant for Nottingham Forest, accused VAR Attwell of siding with the Hatters after several Forest penalty claims against Everton were denied.
The Toffees defeated Forest 2-0 on Sunday (21 April), with the latter turning to Twitter after the match to express their displeasure with the lack of decisions at Goodison Park.
Wyness recounts Clattenburg’s punishment at Nottingham Forest.
According to Sky Sports (22 April), Clattenburg reiterated his claim that Attwell is a Luton fan, while pundit Gary Neville urged the consultant to resign down from his post at Forest.
Wyness feels the former referee might face serious consequences for his behavior, and he reminds clubs of their responsibilities to conduct themselves appropriately.
“I suppose a lot will depend from the FA’s point of view and the Premier League’s point of view as to whether Clattenburg can be classified as an employee of the club,” he said in the podcast.
“Certainly, I believe he would work as a consultant. That would need to be determined. However, if he is considered to be that, he will fall inside the remit.
“Bringing the game into disgrace, those are the issues that will arise. He could be banned from football for a few weeks, as I was, or he could face another monetary penalties.
“I know that once, when I phoned the FA to intervene in a red card situation, I was instructed to hang up.
“I understand, but when you go public and raise such issues, and you start threatening, it becomes a problem for the entire game.
“And it needs to be nipped in the bud immediately, not stamped out. Clubs must accept a greater responsibility for how they conduct themselves in the future.”
