Mark Clattenburg hopes to overhaul Saudi refereeing
Friday 17 February 2017 06:42, UK
Mark Clattenburg hopes to oversee a professional refereeing system in his new role in Saudi Arabia.
The Durham official is leaving the Premier League 13 years after joining its select group of referees, and last weekend's game between Arsenal and Hull is expected to be his last in the competition.
Clattenburg has accepted a job in the Middle East and said on the Saudi Arabia Football Federation's Twitter page: "This is an important move forward.
"We have professional referees in the country that I am leaving, which has been a big positive.
"One thing I'd like to do is work with the refereeing team and the president to make this happen so that it will be successful for many, many years to come."
A FIFA referee since 2006, Clattenburg was in charge of last year's Champions League final and the Euro 2016 final in Paris.
A statement from The Professional Game Match Officials Limited said: "Mark is a talented referee, he has been a great asset to the English game and hopefully an inspiration to those who want to get into refereeing at the grass roots of the game."
