'I turned around and said to Jordan Henderson, 'I am going to tell your mother what you just said to me when I see her on the weekend' - he went white as a sheet and immediately shut up after that.' Mark Clattenburg reveals playground-style threat

Mark Clattenburg and Jordan Henderson have a heated discussion
Mark Clattenburg had a bit of a running battle with Jordan Henderson over the years (Image credit: Getty Images)

"Ommm, I'm telling" can be a highly effective threat when you're seven years old... or, apparently, when you're a Premier League referee.

Mark Clattenburg claims that he once pulled that old trick out of the book (no pun intended) to stop Jordan Henderson from talking himself into a red card back.

The incident occured when Liverpool travelled to then-Championship side Bournemouth in the League Cup in December 2014.

Mark Clattenburg shows a red card to Liverpool's Jordan Henderson against Manchester City in 2014

Jordan Henderson was sent off in the 93rd minute against Manchester City in 2014 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Clattenburg had dismissed Henderson for a rash challenge in injury time in Liverpool's 3-2 Premier League win over Manchester City eight months prior.

The former referee told the Daily Mail: "He missed the rest of the season after that match." (In fact he didn't: he was back for the final day of the season against Clattenburg's beloved Newcastle.) "We had spoken about the sending off and Jordan admitted he'd deserved it.

Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson chat during Liverpool's 2014 League Cup clash with Bournemouth

(Image credit: Getty Images)

"He told me that his mum had phoned him about it and had gone crazy. I knew then that he had a close relationship with his parents.

"The following season, I was officiating at Bournemouth, it was against Liverpool. I gave a decision – a basic, bread and butter decision – and Jordan absolutely volleyed us.

"It should have been a sending off. It was clear foul language, really hurtful and I should have given a red card."

Instead, Clattenburg took a different tack. We dare say that if officials actually followed through on issuing red cards for abuse instead of worrying so much about whether it might 'ruin the game', whatever that means, it would probably be more effective in the long run, but digress.

Mark Clattenburg officiating the Euro 2016 final

Mark Clattenburg was England's top referee at one point, most notably taking charge of the Euro 2016 final (Image credit: Getty Images)

Clattenburg went on: "I turned around and said to Jordan: 'I am going to tell your mother what you just said to me when I see her on the weekend'.

"Jordan went white as a sheet and immediately shut up after that. I remember thinking, 'I can't believe that worked'."

Liverpool went on to win 3-1 thanks to a Raheem Sterling brace either side of Lazar Markovic's strike.

Dan Gosling got a consolation goal for Bournemouth midway through the second half.

Steven Chicken

Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.

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