Chelsea’s Ramires and David Luiz have emerged as key witnesses in the FA’s investigation into alleged racial abuse by referee Mark Clattenburg.
Clattenburg, 37, is alleged to have racially abused Chelsea duo John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata during the Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester United on Sunday.
According to The Daily Star, Brazilians Ramires and David Luiz are the players who made the allegations against the referee, despite Mikel being widely reported to have not heard any comments of a racial nature.
The tabloid also reports that Mikel, when he was made aware of the alleged comments, confronted Clattenburg in his dressing room after the match.
Clattenburg is also alleged to have insulted Spaniard Juan Mata during the match, which is also being investigated.
The referee, according to reports in England, has rejected the allegations against him.
County Durham native Clattenburg will be excused from refereeing duties during this weekend’s fixtures as a result of the ongoing FA investigation after Chelsea submitted an official complaint after Sunday’s defeat.
The Metropolitan Police have also launched a formal investigation into the incident.
