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Summary The FA will probe Chelsea claims taht referee used inappropriate language toward two players.
Just as English football was slowly recovering from a divisive, year-long racism saga, the Premier League has been plunged into renewed controversy.And, yet again, the accusation being leveled is linked to racism a problem thought to have been largely eradicated from English football in the 1990s.The new allegation appears unprecedented for the worlds richest football league: Chelsea claims the referee usedinappropriate language toward two players in the globally televised Premier League match against Manchester United on Sunday.Midfielder John Obi Mikel is believed to be one of the players who Chelsea say was targeted by referee Mark Clattenburg, whose language has reportedly been interpreted as being racially offensive.Clattenburg has been backed by referees union, Prospect, which issued a statement that highlighted the wider struggle against racism.Prospect is committed to helping to eradicate racism in football and in society generally, Prospect national secretary Alan Leighton said. In the context of that commitment, Prospect is offering full support to Mark Clattenburg in relation to the allegations made against him.The program for Sundays match included Chelsea captain John Terry using his column to dedicate the fixture to the Kick It Out anti-racism campaign and pledging commitment to eradicating all forms of discrimination.But Terry wasnt available for selection for Sundays 3-2 loss to United. The defender is serving a four-match ban for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers rival Anton Ferdinand a year ago.The case only concluded last month, and the bitter fallout caused deep fractures in the English game.With Liverpool striker Luis Suarez having been banned for eight matches for also racially abusing an opponent last year, there were complaints about the leniency of Terrys punishment.Some players, including Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, the brother of Anton, refused to back a Kick It Out campaign in protest last weekend.But before Sundays match, an uneasy truce seemed to be declared between the two factions in the case.Rio Ferdinand shook hands with Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, who had staunchly backed Terry and was targeted by the United player on Twitter that led to a Football Association fine. Cole himself was later fined for criticizing the FA investigation that led to Terrys ban.Now the FA disciplinary department is busy again with the Clattenburg case.The FA has begun an investigation relating to allegations made following Sundays fixture, English footballs governing body said in a statement.Clattenburg was already the brunt of criticism on Sunday before the serious allegations emerged.He sent off Chelsea players Bransilav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres and allowed a contentious late winning goal to striker Javier Hernandez, who appeared to be offside when he scored.But for the next week at least, Clattenburg, who is one of the FIFA candidates to referee at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, wont be officiating in England.Professional Game Match Officials believe that with any football match the focus should not be on the officials but on the players and the game itself, the Premier League said in a statement. Mark Clattenburg is one of the elite referees in world football and, in these circumstances, the intense level of scrutiny would detract from the match and be unfair to the clubs and the supporters of both sides.
