Photo: Commons Wikipedia
Mark Clattenburg to referee Cascadia’s Opener
by Steve Clare
One of the England’s most famous referees will take charge of Cascadia’s first match in the ConIFA World Cup. Mark Clattenburg will blow the whistle when the Pacific Northwesterners take on the Isle of Man (Ellen Vannin) at Sutton United’s Gander Green Lane on May 31 according to Manx Radio.
Clattenburg will also take charge of the final on Saturday, 9 June.
Clattenburg left the EPL for a money spinning role in Saudi Arabia in February 2017. There will be no English referees at the World Cup for the first time. Only nine are chosen from Europe and no Englishman made the list.
Clattenburg’s departure is thought to be one of the reasons behind the absence of English referees in Russia. He would have been the British referee at the Finals but was removed from the list when he quit the Premier League to become the head of refereeing in Saudi Arabia last year. He wasn’t replaced though which came as a blow to the self-esteem of English football.
Clattenburg will instead referee at the CONIFA World Football Cup in London in May and June, taking charge of the opening match and the final.
He added:
“It gives me a chance to put something back, but it’s a chance too for these countries to enjoy their World Cup, but also to build structures and move their set-ups forward too.”
Four games will take place simultaneously on May 31 at 12pm to open the tournament: Cascadia v Isle of Man, Abhkazia v Tibet, United Koreans of Japan v West Armenia and Szekely v Tuvalu but Manx Radio seems certain that Clattenburg will be doing their match with Cascadia.
