Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has resigned as chairman of the Egyptian Referees Committee after just five months at the helm.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) confirmed on Wednesday that they have accepted that the 47-year-old can leave his post.
“The Board of Directors of the Egyptian Football Association decided at their emergency meeting today, Wednesday, to accept the resignation of Mr. Mark Clattenburg,” the EFA tweeted.
He added that the EFA would seek to “preserve the rights of the federation and the consequences of his resignation in accordance with the terms of the contract concluded”.
Clattenburg was the subject of criticism this week from Zamalek club president Mortada Mansour on Zamalek’s own TV channel.
Clattenburg was promoted to referee for Premier League matches in 2004 after three seasons in the Football League.
His last game came in April 2017 as Leicester City won 1-0 at West Brom.
He also took charge of the Euro 2016 final as Portugal beat France 1-0 and the Champions League final, when Real Madrid beat local rivals Atletico, in the same year.
Analysis by Riham Eldeeb, BBC Arabic Sport in Cairo
What we know for certain is that Mark Clattenburg has resigned.
After it emerged on Tuesday night that Clattenburg was stepping down, the Egyptian FA held an emergency meeting to discuss whether to accept the resignation. That’s what they did.
But he had only been in the role for five months, so his reasons for leaving are obviously going to be up for discussion.
It is certainly true to say that Clattenburg has faced criticism from Zamalek chairman Mortada Mansour more or less since he arrived in Egypt as head of the country’s referees committee.
Zamalek are one of the two most famous and powerful clubs in Egypt, alongside bitter rivals Al-Ahly. They have their own television channel, and Mansour appears there regularly.
Mansour’s criticism of Clattenburg has increased in recent weeks and has included allegations of a personal nature.
This intensity of Mansour’s attacks coincided with a decline in Zamalek’s league form, culminating in a loss to Al-Ahly on Saturday.
