Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Former Premier League ref Mark Clattenburg has detailed his response after Craig Bellamy grabbed his balls in the tunnel(Image: PA)

Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has revealed his reaction to Craig Bellamy infamously grabbing him by the balls.

The Durham-born official has previously gone over the incident, but few might know the reasons as to why it transpired in the first place, not to mention Clattenburg's response.

The former top-flight official has said he and Bellamy, now manager of Wales, simply "didn't get on" during their on-field careers.



Clattenburg was the man holding the whistle that day, and Bellamy made sure the ref didn't forget it when they next came into contact.

READ MORE:'I was referee in Aston Villa and Birmingham scrap – I had to put one star in a headlock'READ MORE:Mark Clattenburg hits out at claims he tried to help Leicester City win Premier League title

"So I was refereeing City [against] Bolton, and I cautioned him for dissent," Clattenburg said during a recent appearance on Undr The Cosh.

I remember speaking to a [City] club official, and I said, 'How do you put up with him week in, week out?' And they f*****g put it in the media the next day."

That exchange took place during the half-time interval, at which point the two teams were level at 2-2.

And the leak left him irate as he referred to the official in question, adding: "F*****g bell, you know what I mean?"

Article continues belowClattenburg detailed Bellamy's cheeky reaction to being sent off when next they bumped into one another(Image: YouTube/Undr The Cosh)

One can perhaps understand the City frustration given he later sent Bellamy off for diving while attempting to win a penalty.

It's one thing sending a player off on the pitch, but dismissing someone prior to a ball being kicked would be a much more unique occurrence.

Clattenburg later admitted he was perhaps "a bit harsh" to send Bellamy off at the Reebok(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Bellamy received four red cards over the course of his 18-year career: two in the Premier League, one in the Champions League and another in the Championship while playing for Norwich as a youngster.

As fate would have it, the first of those came in 1998 while facing future employers City at Carrow Road.