Police drop probe into referee at center of racism storm
November 14, 2012 -- Updated 1003 GMT (1803 HKT)
Chelsea's John Obi Mikel talks with Mark Clattenburg during October's Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester United
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Police drop their investigation into Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg
- The official was the subject of a complaint from Chelsea back in October
- Club allege he made inappropriate comments to their player John Obi Mikel
- Society of Black Lawyers referred the complaint to the Metropolitan police
(CNN) -- London police have dropped an investigation into Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg after he was accused of using inappropriate language towards a footballer from Chelsea.
The official was the subject of a complaint to the Football Association (FA) from Chelsea after their 3-2 defeat by Manchester United in October but vehemently denies their claims.
The club claimed Clattenburg used "inappropriate language," thought to be of a racist nature, during an exchange with their Nigerian midfielder John Obi Mikel.
Subsequently, the Society of Black Lawyers made a complaint to the Metropolitan police, who now say the probe has been shelved due to a lack of evidence.
Read: Chelsea lodge Clattenburg complaint
A statement read: "An investigation was launched into alleged comments made during a football match between Chelsea FC and Manchester United FC at Stamford Bridge on 28 October 2012.
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It is now nearly a year since Chelsea lost to QPR 1-0 in an English Premier League game at Loftus Road. During the game it was alleged QPR defender Anton Ferdinand swore at John Terry and made reference to the Chelsea captain's reported affair with the ex-partner of former team-mate Wayne Bridge. Terry is then said to have described Ferdinand as a "f***ing black c***".
In July, Terry was cleared in a London court, where the criminal burden of proof is "beyond all reasonable doubt". But the English Football Association then investigated the case, and using the test of "on the balance of probabilities", came to the conclusion that Terry's defence against claims he racially abused Ferdinand was "improbable, implausible, contrived".
Back in September, Ferdinand had declined Terry's offer of a handshake when QPR met Chelsea at Loftus Road as the feud between the two players rumbled on.
After the FA delivered the independent commission's report on the Terry case, the Chelsea captain's teammate Ashley Cole tweeted: "Hahahahaa, well done #fa I lied did I, #BUNCHOFT***S". The Chelsea and England left-back quickly issued a "unreserved apology" for his tweet through his solicitor.
In 2011 the FA had to deal with another racism case, this time handing Liverpool striker Luis Suarez an eight-match ban and a $63,000 fine after finding the Uruguayan guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
Suarez and Evra failed to shake hands before the start of an English Premier League game at Old Trafford last season after the Uruguayan had served his ban. However, when United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield in September, the pair did shake hands.
Questions have been raised about UEFA's sanctioning policy. Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner was fined $126,000 and banned from playing in his side's next competitive game for flashing his sponsored waistband promoting a bookmaker as he celebrated a goal against Portugal in Euro 2012. But that fine eclipsed the $52,000 fine that UEFA handed to the Bulgarian Football Union for its fans' racist abuse of England players during a Euro 2012 qualifier in Sofia in September 2011.
In November 2011, FIFA president Sepp Blatter told CNN that football did not have a problem with racism on the field and any incidents should be settled by a handshake.
The FA's Independent Regulatory Commission heard 473 cases between December 2010 and December 2011, but only two of them ended in "not guilty" verdicts.
Stoke City boss Tony Pulis wants the Football Association to punish Liverpool's Luis Suarez for diving. "It's an embarrassment," said the Stoke manager after a 0-0 draw at Anfield. "The FA should be looking at this."
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Beyond reasonable doubt
Handshake snub
'Twatgate'
Suarez punished
The end of the affair
Fine line
Blattergate
Guilty as charged
Call to action
HIDE CAPTION
Crime and Punishment in sport

England midfielder Danny Rose claims he was subjected to monkey chants before, during and after the second-leg of their Under-21 Euro 2013 playoff match against Serbia on Tuesday, and had stones thrown at him by the crowd in Krusevac. Fans also ran on to the pitch and scuffles broke out after a 1-0 win secured England qualification for Euro 2013.
The Macedonia FA were fined $26,000 after fans racially abused England trio Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell and Emile Heskey during a qualifying game for Euro 2004.
In September 2011, Bulgaria were fined $55,000 after a small number of fans directed monkey chants at England's Ashley Young, Cole and Theo Walcott during a Euro 2012 qualifier in Sofia.
Russia was hit with a $38,000 punishment after supporters made monkey noises towards Czech Republic defender Theodor Gebre Selassie during Euro 2012
The Croatian FA were ordered to pay a $16,000 fine after their fans were found guilty of "displaying a racist banner and showing racist conduct during the Euro 2008 quarter-final tie against Turkey.
Russia were again in the news for the wrong reasons at Euro 2012 and were fined $39,00 for "the setting off and throwing of fireworks by Russia spectators, displaying of illicit banners and the invasion of the pitch by a supporter," during the Euro 2012 tie against Poland. Russia was also fined $155,000 after clashes between supporters and police during and after their game against the Czech Republic.
Denmark's Nicklas Bendtner was given a one-match ban and a $126,000 fine after he lifted his shirt to reveal a betting company's logo on his underwear while celebrating a goal against Portugal in a Euro 2012 group game.
Porto were hit by a $27,000 fine after their fans were found guilty of subjecting Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli to monkey chants during a Europa League game in February 2012. It took UEFA six weeks to finally hand out a punishment. But questions were raised after UEFA also fined City $40,000 after the club were found guilty of coming back out on to the field of play late after the halftime interval.
Serbia scuffles
Macedonia punished
Trouble in Bulgaria
Russian FA hit with fine
Croatia in the dock
Crackdown on Russia
Bendtner loses gamble
Porto punished
HIDE CAPTION
Soccer racism in Eastern Europe
"This follows on from a complaint received by the Metropolitan Police Service on 29 October. Enquires were made and no victims have come forward. The matter will remain as a recorded incident.
"Without a victim and/or any evidence that any offence has been committed, the matter cannot currently be investigated.
"If the situation changes and a victim and/or evidence to support an allegation of a crime comes to police attention then further enquiries will if appropriate be made."
Clattenburg has not officiated a match since Chelsea filed their report with the FA, and the 37-year-old looks set to be kept out of the firing line until their investigation is completed.
That could be as early as Wednesday, as the English game's governing body strives to prevent the issue dragging on as other racism cases that have dogged soccer of late.
Chelsea captain John Terry has only recently completed a four match ban for using racist language during a Premier League game with Queens Park Rangers in October 2011.
Read: Police to investigate ref in Chelsea case
The FA could only reach their own verdict after Terry's case had been heard in a criminal court and in July the former England captain was found not guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, brother of Manchester United defender Rio.
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck rejected criticism of the club on Tuesday after they were labeled hypocritical for their handling of the Clattenburg and Terry situations.
He told the London Evening Standard newspaper: "Suppose we had tried to sweep this under the rug and said to the various players, 'Look, it's not a big deal and the press are going to be all over us, maybe you want to reconsider.'
"If that had leaked out, we would've really been crucified. The press seem to juxtapose 'our support' of John Terry and what's going on here and looking at us as being a bit hypocritical. We have to divorce the John Terry situation from this."
Last season Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was banned for eight matches after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's French defender Patrice Evra.
Recently, a number of black players refused to wear T-shirts promoting an anti-racism campaign in protest at a perceived lack of action about the problem.
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