Mark Clattenburg has admitted he allowed Tottenham to “self-destruct” when they lost the title to Leicester last year.
The ex-Premier League referee took charge of Spurs’ bad-tempered 2-2 draw at Chelsea in May 2016 which allowed the Foxes to clinch a shock top-flight crown.
Needing a win to keep their title hopes alive, Tottenham threw away a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge with Clattenburg booking nine players and Chelsea and Spurs receiving mega fines of £375,000 and £225,000 respectively from the Football Association for the poor conduct of their teams.
But the 42-year-old said he went into the game with a plan to avoid negative headlines.
Clattenburg told NBC’s Men in Blazers podcast: “I allowed them (Spurs) to self-destruct so all the media, all the people in the world went, ‘Tottenham lost the title’.
“If I sent three players off from Tottenham, what are the headlines? ‘Clattenburg cost Tottenham the title’. It was pure theatre that Tottenham self-destructed against Chelsea and Leicester won the title.
“I helped the game. I certainly benefited the game by my style of refereeing.
“Some referees would have played by the book. Tottenham would have been down to seven or eight players and probably lost and they would’ve been looking for an excuse.
“But I didn’t give them an excuse, because my gameplan was: Let them lose the title.”