Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has said that former Chelsea star, John Mikel Obi, once tried to punch him.

This happened after a well-known Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United in October 2012, which was filled with drama.

At the time, Clattenburg was accused of making a racist comment towards Mikel Obi during the game at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea had claimed that Clattenburg called Mikel a “monkey.” But after an investigation, the Football Association (FA) said he was not guilty.

However, Mikel Obi was not left off the hook. The FA punished him by giving him a match ban and a £60,000 fine for threatening the referee.

While speaking on the “Undr The Cosh” podcast, Clattenburg said Mikel Obi stormed into the referee’s room after the match and tried to hit him.

He explained that he managed to dodge the punches, but Mikel also tried to push him up against the wall.

“There was noise outside our dressing room,” Clattenburg recalled. “When I opened the door, Mikel rushed in and started throwing punches.”

He said, “I bent down to avoid them. Then he tried to hold me against the wall and shouted angrily.”