The headline was about Jurgen Klopp’s “hypocrisy” after he questioned Manchester United’s recent penalty record, but most shocking was Mark Clattenburg’s admission of referee bias at Old Trafford.
The former Premier League referee said Klopp was wrong to have a go at United’s players as his own are just as culpable when it comes to trying to win penalties.
“He sounds like a hypocrite if he is suggesting United’s players are looking to win penalties,” Clattenburg claimed in The Daily Mail.
“The likes of Mo Salah and (Sadio) Mane are just as capable of employing similar tactics.
“He is clearly getting edgy, though, because not since Fergie have we seen such a blatant attempt to influence a referee ahead of a big game. Klopp wasn’t doing this last season when Liverpool were winning every week.
“He does not like losing, he never has. He gets prickly.”
But then, almost as an afterthought, in an attempt to evidence his assertions, Clattenburg outright admitted that referees were biased towards Manchester United, particularly in Sir Alex Ferguson’s era at Old Trafford.
Don’t worry though, that bias has “eased”…
“He is wrong to suggest there is an aura around United that sees them given favourable decisions. There used to be when Fergie was there, but that has eased massively since he left.”
Absolutely incredible.
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