Ex-Premier League referee, Mark Clattenburg, has revealed he considered committing suicide after John Mikel Obi accused him of making racist comments during a match against Manchester United.
Mikel Obi was playing for Chelsea at the time.
Clattenburg has now claimed his baby daughter stopped him from taking his own life.
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The controversy generated by Mikel Obi’s allegations led to investigations by both the Football Association and the police in November 2012.
Clattenburg was eventually cleared by the FA, and the Met dropped their probe.
He said:
“The Obi Mikel situation affected me a lot and affected my family a lot.
“I think that was the closest I’ve ever been to, a, suicide and, b, finishing.
“If I didn’t have a way out and I couldn’t referee any more, what can I do?
“If I’m a racist I’m not going to get a job in normal life. I’m not going to get a job in sport. My life’s finished. So the consequences of my actions left us in a position where I’m thinking ‘I’ve got nowhere to go’.
“My family was there, but they don’t know what really goes on. They don’t really know what happens inside the world of football.”
