Chelsea chairman blasts media treatment

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has launched a verbal attack on the way that his club have been treated in the media regarding the ongoing saga with referee Mark Clattenburg.

The Blues have accused the official of using a racial slur towards their midfielder John Obi Mikel during their 3-2 loss to Manchester United at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.

"The reaction has been very unfair," Buck told the London Evening Standard. "We weren't interested in any confrontation with the referee or anybody else, had no thoughts of revenge on the referee. He made two obvious mistakes which changed the tide.

"I felt we had the moral high ground, so I didn't really feel that bad about the defeat or have that feeling in my stomach. I thought we'd be treated very kindly in the newspapers next day."

Buck also went on to insist that Chelsea had no option but to report the alleged incident to the authorities.

"We were guided by obligations that are imposed by the Football Association and also as an employer. FA rule E14 basically says a participant shall immediately report to the association any incident or matter which may be considered to be a misconduct," he added.

"Misconduct is a defined term under the FA regulations and includes such racial behaviour. We also had to ­consider the Equality Act 2010, which imposes an obligation on an employer to take certain actions if an employee is subject to discrimination by third parties."

Clattenburg has not taken charge of match since that Chelsea vs. United encounter.