Mark Clattenburg has stepped down from his role as Nottingham Forest's referee analyst, just months after taking up the position. The former Premier League official announced his resignation on Thursday, citing that his presence had become "more of a hindrance than help" to the club.
Clattenburg was appointed in February with the aim of improving the club's understanding of officiating decisions. However, his tenure was marked by controversy, particularly following Forest's 2-0 defeat to Everton last month. The club issued a statement criticising the match officials for not awarding three penalties and questioned the appointment of VAR official Stuart Atwell, who is reportedly a Luton Town fan.
In a statement, Clattenburg said: "I performed my services under the consultancy agreement in good faith... However, it is now clear that the existence and performance of these consultancy services has caused unintended friction between NFFC and other participants." He added that the role had led to "unmerited targeting" of himself by pundits and participants.
The resignation follows calls from Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville for Clattenburg to leave his post. After the Everton match, Neville said: "Mark Clattenburg must resign tonight... If he sees those words that go out which question integrity, and essentially call a VAR a cheat because he supports a certain club, then he's supporting what's being said."
Clattenburg had also faced criticism for his comments on other officiating decisions, including a penalty incident during Forest's match against Liverpool. He expressed gratitude to the club and wished them well for the remainder of the season.
