Golden whistle: referee Mark Clattenburg quits Premier League for Saudi Arabia

Mark Clattenburg, who refereed the top games in world soccer in 2016, suddenly quit the English Premier League on Thursday for a job in Saudi Arabia.

Clattenburg will replace Howard Webb as head of referees for the Saudis after the 2010 World Cup final referee was hired by Major League Soccer to lead the development of video technology for on-field officials.

Clattenburg, who first revealed his plans to leave England in a recent interview, is set to combine refereeing games with his new off-field responsibilities in the Middle East.

“We decided to bring the best referee in the world,” Saudi Football Federation president Adel Ezzat said on Thursday. “His job is the evaluation of referees, but at the same time he will have some matches to referee, between three to four matches a month.”

Ezzat said 41-year-old Clattenburg will take charge of the Champions League game between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain next month, but it is unclear if he will remain on the Uefa and Fifa lists. He was in contention for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

“At the moment Fifa is waiting for some more information about the future of Mark Clattenburg,” the global governing body said.