Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed that he once put Aston Villa star Ashley Young in a headlock to prevent a mass brawl during a heated Second City derby against Birmingham City. The incident occurred during a 2008 match that ended in a 5-1 victory for Villa.
Clattenburg's Role in Stopping a Brawl
Speaking on the Undr The Cosh podcast, Clattenburg recalled the ferocity of the Birmingham City vs Aston Villa rivalry. He described the atmosphere as "proper rocking" and noted the intense animosity between the two sides. During one attack, Villa's Ashley Young and Birmingham's Mehdi Nafti clashed in the middle of the pitch.
"So, me not wanting to stop it, these two are clashing in the middle of the pitch and they started shoving and pushing each other, so I pushed Nafti out of the way and put Young in a headlock to release them so they could f***ing run away from each other," Clattenburg said.
Advantage Play Leads to Goal
After the headlock, Young ran off, the ball was squared, and he scored. Clattenburg remarked, "I was saying 'I played a great advantage' but nobody really commented but [they] said I shouldn't have handled the player in that way. I'm like 'F***ing hell, I've stopped a mass brawl here.'" The match ended 5-1 to Aston Villa, with Young and John Carew scoring braces and Gabby Agbonlahor adding a goal.
Clattenburg's Premier League Title Prediction
Clattenburg also shared his thoughts on the Premier League title race, tipping Arsenal to beat Liverpool if they sign Viktor Gyokeres. "Gyokeres signing for Arsenal is genius," he told the Whistleblowers podcast. "Arsenal have been missing goals, they needed that leader upfront. If Liverpool don't get Isak – I could see the league being really competitive this year."
He added that Liverpool were helped last season by rivals' struggles but believes Arsenal will challenge more strongly this year.
