Wide of the Mark

No Clattenburg request over Attwell VAR role

- JOHN CROSS

MARK CLATTENBURG did NOT ask for Stuart Attwell to be taken off VAR duties at Everton on Sunday.

The former Premier League now employed by referee, Nottingham Forest as a match and performance analyst, did ring Professional Game Match Officials Limited chief Howard Webb last Friday morning.

But Clattenburg just alerted Webb to the fact that Forest were expecting to get questions about Attwell being a Luton fan at their pre-match press conference with manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

However, there were no questions and Starsport has been told at no point during the phone call did Clattenburg raise an issue with Attwell's involvement and nor did he ask for him to be removed.

That is why Clattenburg's subsequent remarks have come as such a surprise to the PGMOL.