BACK in July 2007, Liverpool were on a pre-season trip in Hong Kong to contest the Premier League Asia Trophy along with Portsmouth and Fulham.

Also there was a referee who, along with sharing the same hotel as some of the touring players, seemed intent on acting as though he was one.

His name was Mark Clattenburg.

Clattenburg's name has long prompted an emotional response on Merseyside ever since his handling of the Goodison derby a few months after that Far East sojourn.

Controversy is nothing new for a man who in 2008 was suspended from officiating for eight months for ‘issues relating to his private business matters’.

A hair implant of which Wayne Rooney was no doubt casting envious eyes at Stamford Bridge on Sunday indicates he doesn’t mind courting the spotlight either.

But is he really, as reports state Chelsea claimed at the weekend, guilty of inappropriate language towards Jon Obi Mikel and Juan Mata?

The cynic would suggest the Londoners were simply miffed at losing a game against Manchester United in which Clattenburg sent off two of their players.

These, though, are strong accusations, particularly given some supposedly have racist undertones.

Chelsea have already had enough issues with racism during the past 12 months without prompting another.

You’d like to think Clattenburg is simply guilty of being misheard.

One thing is for certain, however.

How on earth can he officiate another Chelsea game ever again?

The reality is that, even if he is completely cleared, Clattenburg cannot.

And that, if the Football Association don’t thoroughly investigate and react accordingly, would set a dangerous precedent for teams unhappy at a referee’s decision.

Lodge a complaint, and you’d never have to see the official again.