Football
ESPN staff 7y

Clattenburg one of the best referees in the country - Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte says it's "a pity" for the Premier League to lose referee Mark Clattenburg, whom the Chelsea manager hailed as "a really good referee" on Friday.

Clattenburg is leaving the Premier League to take up a position in Saudi Arabia, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) confirmed on Thursday. 

The 41-year-old is regarded as one of the world's top officials and last year took charge of the finals in the European Championship, Champions League and FA Cup.

And Conte said: "It's a pity because Clattenburg is a really good referee. It's not good news for us. He is one of the best in the country.

"To see he prefers to go away is a pity. I have great confidence in English referees but if you ask me, I am sorry for this."

Clattenburg was named referee of the year at the Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai in December, and at the time said in an interview that he would consider a move to officiate in the Chinese Super League if an opportunity arose.

The County Durham official, who became an assistant referee in the Northern League at 18, has reportedly grown unhappy with the level of public support officials are given by PGMOL and he has been linked with various lucrative moves abroad.

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