Mark Clattenburg issues response after backlash for comments regarding alleged racist abuse towards Vinicius Jr

Mark Clattenburg has issued an apology over comments he made regarding the alleged racist abuse aimed towards Vinicius Jr.

Last night, the Brazilian scored a truly tremendous goal to give Real Madrid a 1-0 lead against Benfica in the Champions League. However, the celebrations didn’t last for long as moments after the ball hit the back of the net, Vinicius Jr walked off the pitch, claiming a member of the opposite team had made a discriminatory remark towards him.

Mark Clattenburg apologises for Vinicius Jr comments

After the incident took place, Mark Clattenburg gave his thoughts during Amazon Prime’s live broadcast.

As per ESPN, he said: “The problem in this situation is that Vinícius Jr has not helped himself. He has made this difficult for the referee.

“He scored a wonderful goal and all he has to do is — yes celebrate — but return back. He has made this situation very, very difficult.”

His remarks received backlash online, with Anti-discrimination campaigner Troy Townsend, posting on X: “[Clattenburg] should never be involved in commentary again.”

Now, the former Premier League referee has taken to X himself to issue a heartfelt apology.

He wrote: “Nothing justifies racism in sport or in life. I’m grateful to have a chance to follow-up on last night, I got it wrong, I’m sorry.

“It was live TV, my job is to respond in the moment, and the words I used were clumsy and not right. I’m already learning from this and appreciate my colleagues who covered the situation with class throughout.”

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