by After telling the FA that he took appropriate action against Wayne Rooney for elbowing Wigan’s James McCarthy, referee Mark Clattenburg has vowed to make the position of Manchester United’s first choice referee his own.
The FA cannot now launch disciplinary proceedings against Rooney and this has led for calls from the club’s supporters to give him a extended run as Man United’s number one official.
“There’s a lot of competition for the starting place as Man United’s referee, but hopefully my performances on Saturday and at today’s hearing have impressed the gaffer enough for me to become a regular,” Clattenburg told Dennis Irwin on MUTV.
“All you want is a chance, and I think I grabbed it with both hands, which is all you can do really.”
“I don’t think a referee could have done more for Manchester United in the circumstances. Pretending you took appropriate action for a violent assault requires skill, tactical awareness and above all total commitment to the cause.”
“It’s nice that the fans are so appreciative of my efforts, I train hard all week purely to make them happy on match-day, and I hope I can continue delighting them for many years to come.”
Rooney escapes elbow ban
Man United’s current first choice referee Howard Webb has welcomed the competition and remains confident in his own ability to let the Premier League leaders use the rules of football as nothing but optional guidelines.
He told reporters, “Competition for places is always healthy, but I’m confident in my ability to turn a blind eye and wave away the protests of the opposition players.”
“I wear the shirt with pride and I won’t relinquish it without a fight.”
