Mark Clattenburg, a former Premier League referee, has claimed that Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel threatened to break his legs during their time in England.
Clattenburg, who last worked in the Premier League in 2016, also claimed Mikel Obi yelled at him.
He made the remark while discussing the treatment of referees in light of recent incidents involving Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.
Clattenburg told Daily Mail: “Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi once swung at me in the referee’s room at Stamford Bridge.
“He screamed he wanted to break my legs and was being held back by Roberto Di Matteo and Eddie Newton.
“In the end, Mikel only received a three-match ban for that incident.
“I thought, ‘Are the FA taking the p***? He should be banned for the rest of the season, if not more.’”
Clattenburg continued: “Mitrovic was not as aggressive as Mikel, but he got physical with Kavanagh. The FA may now use him to set an example for others.
“Referees need to be respected at the highest level because if they are not, that impacts what happens at the lowest level.”
Both Clattenburg and Mikel Obi have since retired from football.