Headline scores with Clattenburg's 'feisty football memoir'

Headline Publishing Group has acquired Whistle Blower: My Autobiography by Mark Clattenburg, one of the "most highly rated, recognisable and controversial football referees of recent times". 

Clattenburg officiated in close to 300 Premier League games from 2004 to 2017. He was widely considered the best in the world, the publisher said, and in 2016 refereed the finals of the FA Cup, the Champions League and the European Championships. Since leaving the Premier League, he has worked in Saudi Arabia and China, and he now works in Greece. He is also a TV pundit and writes a regular column in the Daily Mail.

The deal was struck by consultant sports publisher Jonathan Taylor with Robert Segal and Emma Alexander at YM&U. Whistle Blower will be published in the UK and Ireland in hardback, e-book and audio on 30th September 2021.

Taylor said: "It’s a real thrill to be publishing Mark’s story. It’s the ultimate in feisty football memoirs: hard-hitting and outspoken. Whistle Blower hurls the reader into the referee’s room, the players’ tunnel and out on the pitch to experience the highs and lows of what a modern official goes through."

Clattenburg added: "My career was not without its controversies, but I’m absolutely delighted to finally have this chance to tell my side of the story, and to chronicle the roller-coaster ride that has been my career in football. It was a privilege to be asked to referee so many huge and important matches over the years, and I really hope my autobiography gives fans a vivid picture of what it was like to be out there in the middle."