Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg is set to leave the English top flight for a position in Saudi Arabia.
An official announcement was made on Thursday afternoon by the Premier League regarding the man who refereed the European Championships final last summer. The 41-year-old also took charge of last season's Champions League and FA Cup finals.
With the exodus of players in Europe to the Chinese Super League, Clattenburg admitted in December he would be open to a move to the league.
"The Professional Game Match Officials would like to wish Mark Clattenburg well as he prepares for his move to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation," the PGMOL, which oversees referees, said in a statement on Thursday.
"Since joining the PGMO Select Group in 2004, Mark developed into one of our top officials, refereeing at the highest level and setting standards for others to follow.
"His accomplishments are numerous and last season saw Mark achieve a memorable treble, on top of another consistently excellent season in the Premier League, as he officiated three major cup finals – the FA Cup final, the Uefa Champions League final and the Uefa Euro 2016 final.
Mark Clattenburg unveiled by the Saudi Football Federation. Suit and tie. pic.twitter.com/IlF2IIJv98
— Marwan A. (@MarwanAhmed_KF) February 16, 2017
"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.
"We understand this is an exciting opportunity for Mark as well as further underlining what high esteem English match officials are held throughout the world game."
A move away would look to be completed before the next set of Premier League fixtures set to take place on February 25, with FA Cup fixtures set for the coming weekend.
The Professional Game Match Officials Limited has issued the following statement about Mark Clattenburg's move to Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/l4EVChGlYD
— Premier League (@PLSpokesman) February 16, 2017
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