Clattenburg’s impartiality over the contentious award of a penalty to Tottenham Hotspur during their 2-1 win at Manchester City appeared to be questioned by Pellegrini

Mark Clattenburg was involved in fresh controversy last night after it emerged that the referees’ governing body is investigating his decision to join a talent agency that also represents players.

Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) is concerned about a potential conflict of interest after the referee signed last week for Catalyst4Soccer (C4S), a sports management company whose clients are predominantly professional footballers.

The news came less than 24 hours after Manuel Pellegrini, the Manchester City manager, appeared to question Clattenburg’s impartiality over the contentious award of a penalty to Tottenham Hotspur in their 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Pellegrini alleged that Clattenburg “wanted” to give Spurs a penalty and claimed that the referee should never have been appointed after officiating the